The NFL recently released concussion data for 2024. There were 182 total concussions during the year which includes preseason, regular season, and practices. That averages out to 5.7 per team.
The Lions, by my count, had six official concussions during the 2024 season which is right at the league average.
Looking back to 2023, the Lions only had one official concussion (Penei Sewell in camp) which was markedly lower than the league average that year of 6.8.
It’s important to note that these numbers only represent officially diagnosed concussions. Many players will have strongly suspicious concussion signs on video but can avoid an official diagnosis for various reasons.
The biggest reason for a non-diagnosis is that many concussion symptoms require self-reporting. If a player chooses not to self-report symptoms, the neurologist may be reluctant or not allowed to make the diagnosis unless there are indisputable signs on exam or video.
The return-to-play data for the Lions is valuable to keep in mind going into the 2025 season as it will aide in projected return times. Here are the number of days before the six Lions played in their next game following a concussion:
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 15
- 21
- never
It’s notable that no Lion returned to play in seven days, but this may have been due more to scheduling quirks than recovery time.
Looking back two years to the 2022 season, the majority of Lions returned to play in 7 days following a concussion including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brock Wright, DeShon Elliott, and Kerby Joseph. Whether this means the Lions are trending towards a longer recovery timeline following a concussion is hard to say for sure at this point.
Here is the list of 2024 Lions concussions:
Hendon Hooker – August 8 (1st preseason game)
No video here as the moment of injury was uncertain. Hooker played nine days later in the 2nd preseason game.
Antoine Green – August 8 (1st preseason game)
Green was released after the injury and has not appeared in the NFL since.
Antoine Green concussion video
-I believe concussion was not from initial hit but from his fall being interrupted by Vaki’s leg causing whiplash.
-Whiplash mechanism can cause concussions due to sudden acceleration/deceleration forcing brain to impact inside of skull. pic.twitter.com/x22mLfk8fm— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) August 10, 2024
Alex Anzalone – September 15 (week 2)
One of the friendly fire incidents of the 2024 season caused Anzalone to miss one game. He returned to play in 15 days.
Alex Anzalone concussion video. Brutal helmet shot into right jaw. pic.twitter.com/exl3YHsQjf
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 15, 2024
Brian Branch – September 22 (week 3)
This was an interesting case. Branch passed through the 5-step concussion protocol within a few days after the concussion and appeared set to play in the next game. However, an illness popped up late in the week, and he ended up missing the game. The missed game may have been due to a combination of illness and the recent concussion.
Many concussion symptoms can be non-specific and vague such as headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. These symptoms show up in many routine illnesses which can make attributing their root cause difficult to impossible.
Despite passing through the concussion protocol, there may have been concern he was still having post-concussion symptoms which would have made sitting him prudent.
Branch very likely would have been ready to go at the 14 day mark, but the bye delayed his return to 21 days.
Brian Branch concussion injury video
-Both players (Trey McBride) go low and both appear to try to lead with shoulder. Unfortunately, helmets collide and both suffered concussions. pic.twitter.com/4umy12naDM— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 25, 2024
Alim McNeill – December 5 (week 14)
Officially, the injury was reported as a “head” during the game, not a concussion. McNeill had a suspected TMJ (temporomandibular joint) issue earlier in the year so there was suspicion it could be related to that.
After the game, he was then diagnosed with a concussion. The next Lions game was in 10 days in which he played and unfortunately tore his ACL.
Alim McNeill R jaw injury videos
-Suspicion for chronic TMJ. Nerve pain, other things also possible.
-11/23/23: Hard hit to R jaw. Down for a while. No concussion diagnosis.
-11/10/24: Definite R TMJ symptoms
-12/5/24: Officially “head” injury, not concussion. Jaw/TMJ again? pic.twitter.com/CyBjmCYunX— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) December 6, 2024
Trevor Nowaske – December 11 (practice of week 15)
Nowaske missed one game and returned to play in 11 days.
Here is the official NFL concussion data since 2015:
