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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jimmy Liao MD

Lions Monday medical report – post-week 11 injury updates

Lions Alex Anzalone Jimmy Liao MD Detroit Lions Carlton Davis Frank Ragnow Allen Robinson Shane Zylstra Amik Robertson Dan Campbell

Another week, another injury to a Lions front-7 player. This time it’s a forearm fracture to Alex Anzalone. Fortunately, this injury will allow him to return this year and probably stronger than ever as I explain in my feature article.

Pending concerns include Shane Zylstra’s neck and Allen Robinson’s possible concussion. Many other players went down during the Jaguars game but most of those injuries appear to be minor.

On Monday, Dan Campbell gave a pessimistic update on Ifeatu Melifonwu saying “something came up…. he won’t be ready for a while… this is a different injury”. This may be due to Melifonwu’s new finger injury last week.

Here is the list of what I saw in the Jaguars game along with suspected diagnoses:

Amik Robertson – 1q 10:00 left thigh contusion

At the end of the first drive, he appeared to be hit in the left thigh which may have caused a simple charley horse. I didn’t see anything with the ankles or knees. He limped off but returned the next nickel package which was during the 3rd drive. He played the rest of the game with no noticeable effects.

Amik’s dad confirms that he is just fine.

Jahmyr Gibbs – 1q 1:50 mild abdominal contusion

Gibbs landed on the ball which could have caused an abdominal contusion, rib cartilage injury, or just wind. He left after the play but returned the same drive and finished out the game.

Frank Ragnow – 2q 9:19 left elbow/forearm contusion

Ragnow took a helmet directly to his left elbow/forearm area and came up grimacing. He didn’t miss a play. He finished the game without any kind of elbow wrap or pad which is reassuring. Likely, he just had a mild contusion.

Alex Anzalone – 2q 2:36 left forearm fracture

See my full article for details. Anzalone should be back within 6-8 weeks with no long-term concerns.

Carlton Davis – left thumb fracture earlier in week

Davis didn’t play in the second half but this presumably was a precaution for the left thumb fracture he suffered in practice a few days ago. Dan Campbell stated on Monday that during the game “he didn’t feel quite right”, so this is something to monitor this week.

Here is the cast/splint he was playing with:

Za’Darius Smith – 2q 00:45 right torso/ribs contusion

Smith took an elbow to the right torso which could have caused a rib or abdomen injury. He was in visible pain on the ground for a while but only missed one play. Likely this is just a contusion with the worst case being a rib fracture.

Penei Sewell – 3q 1:12 torso strain

Video was obscured but he did get his torso crushed by Ragnow. Two plays later, Sewell landed hard on his torso which may have aggravated the initial issue. He didn’t miss a play and finished the game in good shape.

Allen Robinson – 4q 5:18 possible concussion

Robinson takes a hard blow to the head here and also bangs his head on the ground. He is slow getting up which is concerning for a concussion. He tried to stay in for the next play but was sent off for a concussion evaluation. Presumably he has passed the evaluation since there has been no news. Delayed symptoms are possible and we should know that by Wednesday.

Shane Zylstra – 4q 6:22 neck

Zylstra pulled himself out after this play and was officially listed as a neck injury. He did not return to the game. I reviewed all his plays in the 4th quarter and nothing jumped out. Neck injuries often don’t show much on video as we saw with Saivion Smith’s temporary paralysis in 2022. Hopefully, this is just a simple cervical muscle strain.

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