The Detroit Lions have not enjoyed the expected impact from Alim McNeill's return this season. While it has been a net positive to have the defender back on the field, there is no denying he hasn't met the expected standard. The defensive lineman commented on the situation, via Audacy's Will Burchfield, with McNeill noting an unexpected dilemma he faced while working his way back into the starting lineup.
""In the end, sometimes I’m seeing a little too much instead of what I need to see and I start thinking about something I don’t need to think about during the play that kind of hinders me. I know what my job is on every play, so doing my job is the bare minimum, But being able to do something else after that is what I’m trying to do and sometimes as an interior D-lineman you don’t even need to see all that stuff. Just gotta keep it simple: play my block, destroy my block, and just do what I do.""Alim McNeill
McNeill is attempting to explain that what is holding back his performance right now isn't physical but mental. This isn't the expected hurdle for a player returning from an ACL tear, looking to help boost a struggling defense. However, it makes sense when you consider the lineman didn't have the benefit of a normal offseason or preseason work. Instead, McNeill was thrown straight into the fire, and that is showing up in his level of play.
Lions' McNeill Overthinking Things After Returning from 2024 ACL Tear
While Lions fans certainly want to see McNeill playing at a higher level, his struggles have been understandable, and it is nice to see his self-awareness own the hole within his game. The trick will be whether or not McNeill can translate this into a level of improved play over the final weeks of the season.
Detroit cannot afford to stumble as its playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, currently sitting two games behind a potential playoff spot with only three games remaining. This paints an understandably bleak picture, but head coach Dan Campbell isn't abandoning positivity, speaking highly of McNeill and his potential impact down the stretch.
""I know Mac feels like he could play better, and we know there’s more in there. There’s a lot of things that go into it, but sometimes you process things a little bit too much instead of cutting it loose. You’re thinking about the look, what is the formation, all these things, but I know he believes he can play better and we all do. Mac is going to go back to work and he’ll be alright.""Dan Campbell
Campbell's comments confirm McNeill's observations, encouraging the defender to cut it loose. There isn't much comfort in this for Detroit fans searching for an answer as to why the defense has struggled so much over the last weeks of the season; however, it is at least confirmation that nothing is wrong physically.
With this in mind, McNeill should begin to show improvement as the veteran continues to get back up to speed and remove himself from his own head. Even if this doesn't translate into drastic improvement over the final trio of games in the 2025 season, it is an encouraging sign that suggests McNeill will return to 2024 levels of production after enjoying a full offseason with normal preparation, with camp and preseason reps.