For a stretch of last Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, it seemed like a Detroit Lions' player left the field injured every other play. That's an exaggeration of course, and some players were able to return fairly quickly. One returned, and left again for good. Some injuries didn't seem serious, but actually were.
A notable injury was even added to the list of wounded Lions the next day. Two players injured last Sunday (Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes) have been placed on IR.
The Lions don't play until Monday night in Week 4, with the Seattle Seahawks coming to Ford Field. So their practice week started a day later than it would for a Sunday game, Thursday instead of Wednesday.
Head coach Dan Campbell had one significant, but expected, injury update during his press conference before Thursday's practice.
Center Frank Ragnow, the aforementioned late addition to the list of injured players from last Sunday's game, will miss next Monday night's game with what's been reported to be a partially torn pectoral.
"We're gonna put Frank down this week, so I'll go ahead and get that out of the way," Campbell said. "We can go round and round if we want, we're not even gonna mess with that. Frank's tough, I mean, he's tough as nails. If anyone can play through that it's him. I think we've got to be smart. It's early in the year, we've got a lot of football left."
Lions first injury report for Week 4 is as long as you'd expect
It's not all bad news on the Lions' first injury report for Week 4. It definitely could be worse.
Via reporters on-site at Allen Park, defensive tackle Alim McNeill (shoulder), safety Brian Branch (concussion), linebacker Alex Anzalone (concussion) and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring) all participated in Thursday's practice, while tight end Sam LaPorta (ankle) was seen off to the side working with a trainer.
Anzalone and Rakestraw missed Week 3, and the rookie Rakestraw also missed Week 2 after suffering a hamstring injury during pregame warmups.
Lengthy and filled with notable names, as expected, here is the Lions' first injury report for Week 4.
- C Frank Ragnow (chest)-No practice
- S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle)-No practice
- TE Sam LaPorta (ankle)-No practice
- OT Dan Skipper (ribs)-No practice
- DT Alim McNeill (shoulder)-Limited participant
- S Brian Branch (concussion)-Limited participant
- DT Levi Onwuzurike (knee)-Limited participant
- CB Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring)-Limited participant
- LB Alex Anzalone (concussion)-Full participant
Melifonwu starts a third straight week not practicing. He has barely practiced since final roster cuts, and seems headed for a fourth straight missed game to start the season. With that in mind, it seems the fourth-year safety should have been put on IR before Week 1.
Anzalone being listed as a full participant on Thursday seems to indicate he has cleared concussion protocol.