Just when the Detroit Lions' secondary was looking as healthy as we'd seen in quite some time, the injury bug has bitten Dan Campbell's roster again, as starting cornerback and 2024 first-round pick, Terrion Arnold, is heading to the IR after suffering another shoulder injury in the team's Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Now, Arnold will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks, meaning the earliest he could return would be Detroit's Week 18 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Beyond the obvious issues of losing one of your top players in the secondary, the Lions are now forced to turn to a player who is playing some of his worst football of the season as the calendar turns to December.
Lions Fans Should Have Concerns Over Amik Robertson Getting More PT
With a pair of matchups on the horizon against two of the more pass-happy offensive attacks in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams, being forced to depend more heavily on Amik Robertson in the absence of Arnold could be a disastrous turn for a team that needs to get on a hot streak as soon as possible.
To put it bluntly, Robertson has been abysmal in games where opposing quarterbacks have prioritized making him work in pass coverage. In the three contests this season in which Robertson has been thrown at 10+ times, two of which have come in Detroit's last two games, the defender has allowed for receptions on 22 of 33 targets, which wideouts have turned into 305 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
With the stakes as high as they are for the Lions entering Week 14's Thursday Night Football matchup against the Cowboys at Ford Field, it is hard for even the most optimistic Lions fan to have much faith in Robertson magically figuring things out against one of the league's most dangerous wide receiver duos in George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.
This is just one of the many issues facing the franchise now that it's reached the stretch run of the regular season. The plan to bring Frank Ragnow back to solidify the interior of the offensive line blew up in the Lions' face after the veteran failed his physical. Top wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is dinged up after suffering an ankle injury on Thanksgiving. And injuries at the tight end position are piling up.
With Detroit entering Week 14 on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in, losing Arnold only adds to the laundry list of obstacles in their way.