Lions can build an entire defense off injured players
12/16/2024 11:55 AM
The hits just keep on coming for the Detroit Lions, particularly to their defense, in the form of injuries. On Sunday, the Lions’ stop suffered not just one, not two, but three injuries. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill suffered a torn ACL in Detroit’s 48-42 loss at Ford Field against the Buffalo Bills, per NFL.com.
Detroit’s secondary also absorbed painful hits in the Buffalo game, as cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Khalil Dorsey both sustained fractures; Carlton to his jaw and Dorsey to his leg.
Davis was the first of the three to exit the game before Dorsey left the game on a cart. As if those two injuries weren’t enough, McNeill limped off the field before being carted into the tunnel. McNeill is now deemed done for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season due to the nature of his injury. Regardless of how deep the Lions go in the playoffs, McNeill will not be there on the field to help Detroit, which saw its 11-game win streak end in Week 15.
Those injuries are just the latest additions to a staggering list of hurt bodies over the side of the Lions. Other injured Lions defensive players include defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport, defensive tackle John Cominsky, and linebackers Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Moreover, Ennis Rakestraw and Ifeatu Melifonwu are also hurt, per Ari Meirov.
Hutchinson, Davenport, Anzalone and Rodriguez are all on the injured reserve along with the reserves in Cominsky, Reeves-Maybin, Melifonwu, and Ennis Rakestraw.
Lions’ injury woes continue amid pursuit of No. 1 NFC seed
There is never an ideal time for a team to lose bodies to injuries, but the latest wave of injured players happened just as the Lions are looking to finish the regular season strong while staying in pursuit of the top seed in the NFC.
The Lions are now 12-2, tied for the best record in the conference with the Philadelphia Eagles, who won on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the moment, the Lions lead the Eagles by virtue of their better win percentage in games against NFC teams, as they are 8-1 in those games to 7-2 by Jalen Hurts and company.
Hopefully for the Lions, they can weather a depleted defense and win out their remaining assignments, beginning in a Week 16 game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Windy City.
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