As the Lions get ready to take on the Eagles on Sunday Night Football, their ever-expanding injury report is starting to represent The Borg – an alien creature on Star Trek who attempted to take over and assimilate everything and everyone in its path.
“Resistance is futile.” – The Borg
Fortunately, most of the Lions who have been assimilated on the injury report and on injured reserve are expected to escape The Injury Borg’s control, and return to action soon.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Eagles have a very favorable looking injury report and certainly look like the healthier team for Sunday night. There is only a single “questionable” or worse designation on their entire report. One of their major question marks coming out of last game, Lane Johnson RT, is a full-go.
(NP – no practice, LP – limited practice, FP – full practice)
Arnold will miss at least 1 game with this concussion. He also had a diagnosed concussion in 2023 while in college. Missing a game, even if he was ready, is probably prudent. A secondary benefit is he gets a week of rest for his shoulder injury which threatened his season just 5 weeks ago.
Early signs are that this concussion isn’t anything overly serious, as he was still doing his podcast this week. There is a good chance he will be ready next week vs the Giants.
No Lions in the 2024 and 2025 seasons have returned to play within 7 days from a concussion, and the trend continues here with Arnold.
Joseph has been dealing with a balky left knee since early training camp. He injured or aggravated the knee on September 28. The diagnosis is uncertain but a PCL sprain is a possibility based on video. His last game played was October 12.
The complete lack of practices this week puts next week in doubt as well.
I reviewed all of LaPorta’s plays and nothing stood out except maybe his second to last play – a reception at the 13 minute mark of the 4th quarter. He battled multiple defenders and could have strained his back here. The next play was Jahmyr Gibb’s TD, and the starters were all pulled after that.
While I’m not overly concerned at this point, there are no details of the injury or its severity at this time. I think it’s unlikely he lands on IR this weekend, but we shall keep our fingers crossed.
Paschal started his 21-day practice window on November 5. Expect him to use most of his window with a target return of Thanksgiving.
Robertson presumably injured his hamstring in practice on Thursday. On Friday, Dan Campbell stated: “Amik may be able to go [practice] a little bit, we’ll see, get him moving around.”
Robertson ended up having an LP on Friday which is good news long-term. In the short-term, his status is still in doubt with the game just 3 days after his hamstring injury (presumably a strain, and not a contusion).
He did appear confident when speaking to Nolan Bianchi which is a promising sign.
This confidence doesn’t guarantee he plays though, as medical and the coaching staff have the discretion to step in and protect the player from himself. With Reed still recovering from his hamstring, the Lions don’t need fellow CB Robertson aggravating his.
Sewell was rolled up on which could have caused a mild left MCL and a high or medial ankle sprain. The NP on Friday does cast some doubt on his availability for Sunday, but I still expect him to play.
The shoulder issue may be starting to stabilize as he got in 2 practices this week. The “rest” designation is a signal that he will be playing.
Davenport was hurt in Week 2 with a reported pec strain. While I don’t expect him to play on Sunday, the questionable designation (versus doubtful/out) gives hope for next week vs the Giants. However, given the short turnaround from the Giants game to the Thanksgiving game vs the Packers, I expect Thanksgiving to be the logical return date.
Despite a questionable designation, Dan Campbell basically ruled him out on Friday: “I don’t see DJ yet.”
My expected return for Reed is the same as for Davenport above – Thanksgiving seems to make sense.
While I didn’t catch the injury on video (special teams injuries are hard to spot), Vaki is presumed to have been hurt last game vs the Commanders. The 2x LP’s to finish the week are an excellent sign that this isn’t anything serious.
Wright was still playing in the 4th quarter last game without obvious injury. The 2x LP’s means it’s not serious. With LaPorta out, Wright becomes very important.
Frazier started his 21-day practice window on November 5. Expect him to use his entire window before being put on the active roster.
Saylors has missed 1 game. The 3x LP’s this week means he has a good chance to be ready on Sunday. He’s displayed great burst on kickoff returns, so it will be nice to get him back.
I expect him to play on Sunday for the first time since his ACL tear on November 28, 2024. He opened his 21-day window on October 28, so he is nearing the end of the window now.
The suspected left-side elbow injury fortunately was not a big deal. He’s been wearing a left elbow sleeve since Week 17 of the 2023 season with unknown relation.
As expected, Glasgow is fine after getting cleated by Tate Ratledge in the back.
PUP/NFI – no players remaining
IR (injured reserve) – eligible to return this season
(Rules recap: There is no limit to the number of players that can be placed on IR. Must stay on IR for minimum 4 games. Only 8 are allowed to return during regular season plus bonus 2 for the playoffs. Last season, Lions used 7 returns during regular season and 1 during playoffs.)
Eligible return dates:
IR returns: 3 – Thomas, Reed, Davenport
IR players:
IR – NOT eligible to return this season (key players listed)
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions final injury report and medical analysis for Week 11 vs Eagles