Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone has been out since suffering a broken forearm in Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A return for the playoffs has always been in play, within a 6-8 week recovery timetable keeping the possibility of a late regular season return open.
On Wednesday morning, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network took a look at the difference in the Lions and Minnesota Vikings' rosters since their first meeting back in Week 7. Some notable Lions who played in that first meeting won't be available on Sunday (Alim McNeill, David Montgomery, Malcolm Rodriguez), and Rapoport also had a note on Anzalone.
"Alex Anzalone, the play-making linebacker with a broken forearm, he played in that (Week 7) game, not gonna play in this one."
Subsequent reports on Wednesday contradicted Rapoport, both locally (Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network) and nationally (ESPN's Adam Schefter).
As Schefter reported, Anzalone was listed as a limited participant for Wednesday's practice. The Lions conducted a walkthrough, so participation levels were only estimations, but Anzalone's 21-day activation window has been opened.
Lions injury update: Will Alex Anzalone play in Week 18?
After Monday night's win over the San Francisco 49ers, Dan Campbell was asked about Anzalone as his potential return to action looms.
"We’ll see,” Campbell said. “He’s doing well. He’s close. He’s really close.”
The Lions' defense has of course been greatly depleted by injury, but Anzalone's absence in recent weeks might be the most impactful. The eye test says it, and so do deeper metrics like the all-encompassing DVOA.
Here's a visual representation of what has happened to the Lions defense. The graph is reversed so that better games (lower defensive DVOA) appear higher. You can see that the Lions have had five straight games with defense worse than average. pic.twitter.com/p7taRAN7X3
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) December 31, 2024
Lions' defense started a steady decline after Anzalone went out. Additional blows haven't helped, but getting back their captain should provide an unquestionable boost. https://t.co/z3ks8VGDxq pic.twitter.com/vPsJN0jkgN
— Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network (@Justin_Rogers) January 1, 2025
Starting Anzalone's practice window this week makes sense, and it's a good sign. His status for Sunday night remains a question until further notice though, and the Lions not having a typical practice on Wednesday would seem to mean Thursday will be a very important day for determining if he'll be able to play against the Vikings.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Campbell confirmed that along with Anzalone's return to practice.
"He’ll be out there running around today, so we’ll see how he does,” Campbell said. “It’s really going to be how he—tomorrow is going to be a really big day for us, to see where he’s at."
Update, Jan. 2, 6:00 p.m. ET: Anzalone was spotted on Thursday with a " brace/cast on his left arm" (per Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit), but he was listed as a full participant in the day's practice.
Update: Anzalone was listed as questionable on Friday's injury report.
Update, Jan. 4, 4:40 p.m. ET: Anzalone was activated from IR on Saturday, making it a practical certainty he plays on Sunday night.
Update, Jan. 5. 7:55 p.m ET: Anzalone is officially active for Sunday night's game.