Dan Campbell's Alex Anzalone Injury Update Will Disappoint Lions Fans

The Detroit Lions embarrassed the Chicago Bears on Sunday, defeating them 34-17. While the Lions are far from the first team to embarrass the Bears this season this victory meant more given the defensive performance. Everyone is aware of how depleted the Lions defense is, so holding even an underperforming offense to 17 points is a huge win.

Fortunately, the Lions seem to be on track to get a defender back. During Dan Campbell's Monday press conference, he told reporters that linebacker Alex Anzalone's clock to return has started, but he may not be back this week.

Although this isn't the exact kind of update Lions fans were hoping for, it is still good news.

Lions News: Alex Anzalone on Track to Return Soon

Anzalone broke his forearm in the Lions' Week 11 game against the Jaguars. It was initially reported that his recovery time was 6-8 weeks. This week marks six weeks since the injury, so hearing that Anzalone's recovery clock has started means he is on pace to return on time.

Since Anzalone went down, second-year linebacker Jack Campbell has taken 100% of the snaps at middle linebacker.

That said, Malcom Rodriguez took Anzalone's spot as a starter. Sadly, Rodriguez got hurt too, which meant the Lions started to rotate the second middle linebacker. Trevor Nowaske, Ben Niemann, and Zeke Turner have all taken snaps since Rodriguez went down. Each player has seen similar amounts of playing time in Rodriguez's absence.

Nevertheless, none of them are able to replace Anzalone's presence in the middle of that defense.
Anzalone was a captain and leader on that defense, which is why losing him hurt so much. Additionally, Anzalone brought the boom when he tackled. His hard-hitting style embodies Campbell's mentality as a coach.

While it's unfortunate that Anzalone won't return this week, the Lions might try to have him ready for Week 18. Week 18 has the potential to be for the division title against the Vikings, so having Anzalone available for that game would be extremely helpful.

If the Lions can take care of business these next two weeks, they earn the No.1 seed and a first-round bye, which they desperately need. That bye will help the Lions get healthier and have a better shot at making a push for the Super Bowl.

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