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

Lions postgame medical report following the Bills game

Bills Lions Khalil Dorsey Jimmy Liao MD Carlton Davis Detroit Lions Alim McNeill Brian Branch David Montgomery Terrion Arnold

The playoffs can’t come soon enough for the Lions as the defense is running low on players to even limp to the finish line. Multiple defenders went down vs the Bills including two key starters in Alim McNeill and Carlton Davis.

Postgame, Dan Campbell delivered pessimistic outlooks on those two: “We’ll know more [Monday], I don’t feel good about either one of those guys… for the rest of the year.”

UPDATE: On Monday, reports confirmed that McNeill is out for the season with an ACL, and Davis is out for six weeks with a fractured jaw.

Dan Campbell on Monday stated that David Montgomery is having surgery and is out for the season.

Definitively lost for the season also is Khalil Dorsey who is a valuable backup CB and special teams player.

Here are the injuries seen on initial look including suspected diagnoses:

Carlton Davis – jaw 1q 12:30 & 2q 13:29

UPDATED: Davis confirmed to have a fractured jaw and is out six weeks. If accurate, he has a chance to be back for the NFC championship game which is in six weeks. 

In the 1st quarter, Davis took a shot to the left side of the helmet during a tackle and was out for one play. In the 2nd quarter, video is obscured but you can presume that he took a blow to the left side of his head again. Afterwards, trainers are seen checking out his left jaw area, and he did not return to the game.

This wouldn’t be the first time this year that Davis has taken trauma to the left side of his head. Back in Week 6, a cleat hit the left side of his helmetless head. It’s uncertain if all these injuries are related.

David Montgomery – right MCL 2q 7:39

UPDATE: Dan Campbell reports that Montgomery is having knee surgery and is out for the year. 

It’s not clear when the injury happened. The suspicious play is when he got his right leg tangled up at the end of a run. The next carry after that, it appeared his right leg gave out on him. He stayed in another play before leaving for the rest of the half.

Montgomery returned to start the 3rd quarter with a visible right knee wrap. He was able to play into the 4th quarter and looked fine doing so. After the game, Dan Campbell stated he’s “a little banged up”. Hopefully, this is just a mild knee sprain or contusion and nothing unexpected shows up on MRI.

Khalil Dorsey – right tibia and fibula fracture near the ankle 2q 1:47

Dorsey will be out for the season. His fracture is similar to Aidan Hutchinson’s except Dorsey’s appears to be lower down the leg and closer to the ankle joint. It was officially listed as an ankle. Thus, there is concern for joint damage here which potentially makes it a more complicated injury than Hutchinson’s which spared the joint. Dorsey will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Interestingly, Dorsey was at high risk for the same injury last year when he made a tripping tackle on kick coverage. The impact force on that play last year looked much greater than the one that broke his leg this year. This epitomizes the fluky nature of many NFL injuries.

Alim McNeill – right ACL 3q 7:20

UPDATED: McNeill confirmed to have an ACL tear. Full recovery is generally very reliable but lengthy. Expected return would be around October-November 2025, thus the injury affects next season also. Hopefully, there is no associated meniscus damage along with the ACL. 

Video was not obvious here. It’s not clear exactly which step he hurt his knee but suspecting it was the final step when he comes down hard on a straight leg. Best case scenario would be a mild bone bruise or knee sprain. Meniscus damage is a possibility. Worst cases are an ACL or a fracture. We should know the prognosis very soon.

Terrion Arnold – passed concussion evaluation 4q 14:00

Arnold went up high to defend a pass and landed hard on his back causing his head to whiplash onto the turf. This easily could have caused a concussion, but he presumably passed the evaluation and finished out the game. Delayed symptoms are unlikely but possible, and we should know that by the first practice on Wednesday.

Brian Branch – right upper leg strain 4q 4:12

This is the second time in two games that Branch has reached for his right upper lateral leg area after a tackle. He did this last week vs the Packers also. In each instance, he was awkwardly bent over to the side while making the tackle.

He was able to stay in the game both times, but there may be a mild underlying injury that he has been battling through. A muscle/tendon or iliotibial band strain are possible.

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