DETROIT – Yet another Detroit Lions defensive star will miss the rest of the season due to injury, and he might not be the only one.
The Lions' defense -- which was vastly improved at the beginning of the year -- has been completely decimated by injury.
Now, two more key players have joined that list. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill has reportedly torn his ACL, and Carlton Davis reportedly broke his jaw.
McNeill is done for the year and Davis is “sidelined indefinitely,” per the report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers, the Lions were without 15 defensive players who figured to be part of the rotation at the start of the season.
A couple of those players returned to the field on Sunday, but the Lions are still without Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, Marcus Davenport, Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and several depth players.
McNeill is the third member of the starting defensive line to go down with a season-ending injury, following Hutchinson and Davenport. There’s some hope that Hutchinson could return late in the playoffs, but that’s still very unclear.
Davis has been a rock for the Lions secondary, which is otherwise very young. His injury forces rookie Terrion Arnold into the No. 1 cornerback role.
The Lions are coming off a loss to the Buffalo Bills in which they allowed 48 points. Even though they just won 11 games in a row, the defensive injuries are threatening their Super Bowl hopes.
Lions CB Carlton Davis will undergo surgery on his broken jaw and be sidelined indefinitely, per sources. https://t.co/8sg7lQbkdf pic.twitter.com/JFwufTXN3j
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 16, 2024
