The Detroit Lions may have lost more than just another game on Sunday. That 27-24 setback to the Minnesota Vikings might come back to haunt them, as it was their second divisional loss in three tries this season, and to add insult to injury, literally, the Lions may have also lost star right tackle Penei Sewell.
According to a report by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Swell "barely moved his left arm while talking to the Free Press in the locker room after the game, but said he does not think his injury his serious."
Even if it doesn't end up being a serious injury, Sewell's new issue is far from what the Lions needed after falling to the Vikings.
Penei Sewell is Dealing With a Shoulder Injury
Sewell, who's widely regarded as the best right tackle in all of football, suffered a shoulder injury in the second half of the loss. And while he was able to return after leaving the game for a while, Lions injury analyst Jimmy Liao, MD, believes he could be dealing with an AC joint injury.
Sewell also had to leave the game after seemingly being poked in the eye (h/t @NFLonFOX). He had trouble seeing from his left eye, and the training staff had to work on it and wash it out before he was able to return to the game.
The Lions' offense struggled to be as explosive as it usually is against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' stellar and aggressive defense. The blitz packages kept quarterback Jared Goff on his toes, and he was seeing ghosts for most of the afternoon, limiting the passing game's upside.
Head coach Dan Campbell's team will now stay on the road to face two physical defenses in the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles, and not having Sewell out there could lead to disaster for the offensive line.
Even so, Sewell is one of the most important pieces to this team, so the Lions need to err on the side of caution with him, even if that means having to sit him out for a couple of games. Detroit needs him to be as healthy as possible late in the season to make some noise in the playoffs.
The Lions' offensive line ended the game pretty banged up, with left guard Christian Mahogany suffering a leg injury that might sideline him for a while, according to coach Campbell. Left tackle Taylor Decker and right guard Tatle Ratledge also had to leave briefly with knee and shoulder injuries, respectively, but they were able to get back on the field and finish the game.
It's clear that the Lions' offensive line situation is worse than it was before Sunday, and it'll be interesting to see how the unit will navigate the regular season's second half.