Detroit Lions standout linebacker Alex Anzalone sustained a broken left forearm during the second quarter of Sunday’s 52-6 steamrolling of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Anzalone will miss six to eight weeks. That timetable would allow Anzalone to return for Detroit (9-1) by the start of the postseason.
Anzalone, a team captain, was injured during a play in which teammate Brian Branch pushed Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. out of bounds. Anzalone’s arm got tangled between the two players.
“Thank you everyone for the well wishes!” Anzalone wrote on social media. “As an athlete, a lot of times you think ‘Why did this have to happen?’ But I like to think about all the countless reps something bad didn’t happen. I’m beyond blessed! I’ll be back in no time, fresh legs and all.”
The loss of Anzalone isn’t the first big blow for the Detroit defense this season. The unit lost star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to a badly broken leg in mid-October.
Anzalone had five tackles, including one for loss, before exiting against Jacksonville.
Overall, Anzalone has 56 tackles — seven for loss — in nine games this season. He had a career-best 129 tackles in 2023 and 125 in 2022.
The 30-year-old Anzalone is in his fourth year with the Lions after spending his first four NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints.