The Detroit Lions' downfall is showing no signs of stopping, and the 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day didn't do them any favors. The Lions are now 1-3 in divisional games this season, and their recent woes are made worse by the fact that they also lost star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to an ankle injury during their latest loss.
St. Brown left in the first quarter and was unable to return, leaving Detroit without its top pass-catcher — a terrible spot to be in with Sam LaPorta already on injured reserve. Fortunately, the Lions were able to avoid any serious injury. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Friday that St. Brown is believed to have suffered a low ankle sprain and is not expected to land on IR. He's slated to be week-to-week with the Lions entering a pivotal stretch run.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Is Week-to-Week with Ankle Sprain for Lions
Center Trystan Colon rolled into St. Brown's ankle in the first quarter (h/t @InsideInjuries), and he quickly left the game. It was a massive loss for a Lions offense that features St. Brown a ton, but it sounds like they avoided anything significant.
Needless to say, Friday's update is the news the Lions needed to hear, as they need to play their best ball for the rest of the season to secure a playoff berth. And having St. Brown out there will give them the best chance to do so. Head coach Dan Campbell said that he could miss one to two weeks due to this, and the Lions' scheduling works out in their favor.
Pelissero highlighted that Detroit plays one game in the next 16 days and that comes against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 4. This extra time off is huge and could allow St. Brown the time needed to recover, keeping him well-rested for the postseason push.
Even if he doesn't play versus the Cowboys, he should be able to suit up against the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears to close out the season. None of those matchups will be a cakewalk, which is why it's the best possible news that St. Brown is expected to be out there.
Injuries are a part of the game, and it sucks when they happen to anyone on the team. Especially when it's your star WR, but that's the cards that Detroit is being dealt. They are already down LaPorta, but the offense still has a collection of playmakers that should be able to hold the fort down as St. Brown recovers.
The Lions will just need to get more creative to get the ball into their playmakers' hands, but they should be able to weather the storm until their All-Pro WR returns.