I was fortunate enough to see this victory in person along with thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of boisterous Lions fans who deserve a game ball for another impressive road showing. With the temperatures outside nearing 100 degrees, the excellent Cardinals stadium air conditioning deserves my other game ball.
With a good view of the Lions sideline, here are my observations from that vantage point. I haven’t had a chance to watch the game tape, so video review will come later in the week.
Sam LaPorta
Sam LaPorta looks good on the sideline after ankle. pic.twitter.com/KB1cm4HuuB
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 22, 2024
The injury video looked like a right low ankle sprain caused by an inversion mechanism. He was carted to the locker room which was concerning but returned after halftime.
On the sideline, he looked springy and quick while doing movement drills. The ankle did not appear to be much of a concern as the training staff didn’t spend much time with him. His ankle was not taped on the outside of the shoe but could have had a light tape job under his sock.
LaPorta was able to return to the game throughout the 2nd half. While he will be sore and likely need extra rest this week, I don’t expect anything long-term.
Terrion Arnold
Terrion Arnold walking very gingerly. R knee wrapped. Not looking good for today but doesn’t seem serious pic.twitter.com/Ay9B4L5Boz
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 22, 2024
Arnold had dislocated his left index finger last week so it was nice to see there was no heavy splint on his fingers. He was catching passes well during warmups so I’m anticipating he should be able to intercept the ball without too much difficulty going forward.
During the game, he may have injured his right knee. On the sidelines, he was hobbling and grimacing while gingerly doing drills. The training staff spent a lot of time with him testing out his movement ability. His right knee was wrapped temporarily.
With how much discomfort he was displaying, I wasn’t expecting a return, but return he did and played pretty well too. Hopefully, this means the injury is something benign like a simple knee contusion.
Brian Branch
Brian Branch slowly going off after concussion. pic.twitter.com/wLJzn8tsfW
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 22, 2024
A big helmet-to-helmet hit obviously concussed both players. The injured Cardinal stumbled off while Branch was still down on the ground. It wasn’t clear if he had loss of consciousness. I didn’t observe any fencing which is good. He walked slowly to the locker room without any assistance.
Dan Skipper
Here is Skipper side wrap he had going on sideline all game pic.twitter.com/dH40CThPnI
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 23, 2024
Skipper got hurt early in the game. On the sideline, he was showing discomfort to his right back and side. He kept pointing to that area and doing torso side-stretches and rotations to test it out.
He was able to return to play but every time he was on the sideline, a wrap, presumably with heat, was placed to keep it loose. Laboring quite a bit on the sidelines, he was clearly doing his best to tough it out. I’m suspecting a muscle or rib strain of his right side which will be sore, but I don’t expect it to be long-term.
Penei Sewell
Penei Sewell gets treatment while on bench for right ankle still. Remnants from 2wks ago. pic.twitter.com/VtE5Q7Bk5b
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 22, 2024
Players are often battling through injuries that don’t show up on the injury report. Sewell had injured his ankle two weeks ago but was unlisted this past week.
On the sideline, he occasionally had a wrap on his right ankle which I’m suspecting is for that injury from two weeks ago. This is something to keep in mind in case he occasionally has plays that don’t reflect his 1st-team All-Pro standard.
Derrick Barnes
On limited video, there was a possible right knee hyperextension. Recall last year in the conference championship game, he also had a right knee hyperextension.
A hyperextension can cause a bone bruise as well as knee ligament damage. We will see what the MRI results show. I don’t have any observations on the sideline and he did not return to the game.
Alim McNeill
Alim McNeill slowly walking off at halftime. No noticeable limp. pic.twitter.com/uTS6PGZbrm
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 22, 2024
McNeill left the game permanently with a shoulder injury. The only thing I saw was him walking very slowly as the last guy to the locker room at halftime.
Levi Onwuzurike
On the field, medical was evaluating his right knee. He was able to return for the rest of the game and seemed to be fine.
Alex Anzalone
Sitting this game out with a concussion, he was still totally mentally engaged on the sideline helping out with defensive calls and pumping up the fans. All good signs that he will be ready to go for next Monday night.