{"id":260800,"date":"2026-01-03T11:36:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T16:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=260800"},"modified":"2026-01-03T11:36:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T16:36:21","slug":"more-bad-news-for-an-injury-depleted-detroit-lions-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/01\/03\/more-bad-news-for-an-injury-depleted-detroit-lions-team\/","title":{"rendered":"More Bad News for An Injury-Depleted Detroit Lions Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

As Detroit prepares for its final game of the season against division rival the Chicago Bears<\/a> on Sunday, the Lions\u2019 latest injury report paints a bleak picture for an already injury-depleted team.

All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell<\/a> (ankle), veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone<\/a> (concussion\/personal), offensive lineman Trystan Colon (wrist), safety Thomas Harper<\/a> (concussion), and defensive lineman Alim McNeill (abdomen) have been ruled out for Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\r\n

More Bad News for An Injury-Depleted Detroit Lions Team<\/h2>\r\n

In addition to the players already ruled out, star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a> and veteran DB Avonte Maddox,<\/a> the Lions have listed another seven players as questionable, including guard Kayode Awosika, (T) Taylor Decker<\/a>, \u00a0and offensive linemen Christian Mahogany and Giovanni Manu. It\u2019s hard to imagine the Lions locker room has anyone left to suit up on the offensive line.

Earlier this season, Dan Campbell stated bluntly<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019ve mentioned this before, this train doesn\u2019t stop for anybody. Doesn\u2019t matter who it is or what it is, we\u2019ve got to go. Nobody cares, nobody\u2019s going to feel sorry for you.\u201d But at some point, the injuries become so extensive that they weaken the team\u2019s ability to adequately protect players on the field. When that happens, it could put player safety at risk and lead to a disastrous outcome.<\/p>\r\n

A Devastating Absence For An Injury-Depleted Offensive Line<\/h3>\r\n

Sewell\u2019s absence on an already weak offensive line is an incomparable loss. As the only stabilizing presence on an otherwise injured, underperforming o-line, he\u2019s a force of nature. Ruggedly strong and durable with an exceptionally high football IQ, Sewell is known for his elite athleticism. Often called the best tackle in the league, this is only the second game he will miss in his career. Sewell\u2019s ability to protect Jared Goff<\/a> and open running lanes for Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a> cannot be overstated or easily replaced.

New to Detroit this season, Colon, a 6-year NFL veteran, began the season on the practice squad. But as injuries continued to decimate the offensive line, he was called into action. With Graham Glasgow<\/a>\u00a0sidelined last week, Colon split duties at center with rookie Miles Frazier<\/a>. His absence further weakens an offensive line depth that is already on life support.<\/p>\r\n

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Anzalone, the Heart and Soul of The Lions Defense\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Alex Anzalone had an outstanding season for Detroit. The nine-year veteran linebacker recorded 95 tackles with 52 solo, 2.5 sacks, nine pass defenses, and one interception. Anzalone, along with Jack Campbell<\/a> and Derrick Barnes,<\/a> has been named among the NFL\u2019s best linebacker trios this season. With Anzalone\u2019s contract set to expire<\/a> after the 2025 season, the game in Chicago could have potentially been his last in a Lions uniform. That would be a truly sad outcome for a supremely talented athlete whose veteran leadership helped build the foundation of this team.<\/p>\r\n

Compounding The Injuries At Secondary\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

A severely depleted Detroit secondary has been relying on first-year Lions safety Thomas Harper<\/a>. Despite having limited experience in his previous two years with the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> and the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>, Harper was making the most of his opportunity in Detroit. Appearing in 12 games for Detroit with nine starts, Harper has 37 tackles with 26 solo, 1.5 stuffs, one interception, 5 pass defenses, and a forced fumble. \u00a0He will be an asset to this team if he returns next year. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Another Veteran Defensive Lineman Goes Down<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Admittedly, Alim McNeill\u2019s<\/a> return to the lineup in Week 7 hasn\u2019t produced the numbers he achieved a year ago when he started 14 games with 25 tackles (17 solo), seven tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, one pass defense, and one forced fumble. Nonetheless, his veteran presence on the field and contribution of 14 tackles (five solo), 1.0 sack, four pass defenses, and one forced fumble helped an injury-plagued defense.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The Biggest Concern For the Lions’\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

The Lions’ 2025 season is already in the books as a step backwards. \u00a0Whether Detroit wins its final game against Ben Johnson and the Bears won’t change that narrative. Looking ahead to next season, there is a need to make changes to correct the mistakes<\/a> made this season. The team can at least look forward to an easier schedule. \u00a0The draft will allow Brad Holmes to build depth and plug roster holes. \u00a0He could acquire immediate help through savvy free agency acquisitions. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

While it would be nice to go out with a win and sweep Chicago, the odds are against them. There is no questioning the commitment of this team, with St. Brown and Decker vowing to play despite their injured status. \u00a0This is a team that doesn’t quit. \u00a0But they are up against a tough opponent. Healthy and strong, the Bears are coming into this game looking to avenge their 52-21 loss in Week 2.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

When athletes play while injured, the risk of suffering further injuries themselves or putting a teammate at risk increases. The biggest concern is that a Detroit Lions player suffers an injury that puts their 2026 season at risk. Even before the latest injury report, the battle against the playoff-bound Chicago team, intent on taking over Detroit’s crown as the NFC North Champions, would have been tough. Now, it’s looking like David versus Goliath, and we can only pray that our slingshots will get the job done without suffering any serious injuries.<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Detroit prepares to face the Chicago Bears, the Lions\u2019 latest injury report paints a bleak picture for an already injury-depleted team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5208,"featured_media":128754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,24],"tags":[3624,7600,7578,6991,2548,32673,34012],"class_list":["post-260800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-lions","tag-alex-anzalone","tag-alim-mcneill","tag-amon-ra-st-brown","tag-penei-sewell","tag-taylor-decker","tag-thomas-harper","tag-trystan-colon"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260800"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261608,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260800\/revisions\/261608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}