Open thread: Which injury from Sunday’s loss hurts the most?
Dec 17, 2024
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Lions suffered four new season-ending injuries on Sunday, but which one hurts them the most moving forward? The Detroit Lions lost four more players to season-ending injuries on Sunday, with Alim McNeill, Carlton Davis III, Khalil Dorsey and David Montgomery being the latest blows suffered. It’s a total gut punch for a team that has been hot all year, but is looking like it could start to unravel at the worst possible time with three weeks left in the season in a tight race for the No. 1 seed and division lead.
Today’s Question of the Day is…
Which injury from Sunday’s loss against the Bills hurts the most?
My answer: Alim McNeill.
Losing McNeill on the defensive line, to me, is a much tougher hit to take than any other injury aside from Aidan Hutchinson or Alex Anzalone. The Lions’ front-seven has taken the brunt of the bad injury luck so far, and their depth consists of whatever scraps they can find on the waiver wire or across the league. Through all of the injuries, McNeill seemed to be the one constant holding the DL together, and now that’s no longer the case.
Davis and Dorsey going down at the same time also stings, but after so many additions to the secondary in the offseason, they are built to sustain these types of blows. Kindle Vildor will likely step in for the injured Davis. Vildor has been solid since his rough performance against the Colts four weeks ago. Emmanuel Moseley should be ready to step in as a reserve after being a healthy scratch the past two weeks, and Ifeatu Melifonwu is close to a return with the Lions opening up his 21-day practice window this week. Rookie corner Ennis Rakestraw Jr. should also be ready before the playoffs begin.