Category: NFL

Lions LB Alex Anzalone closer to return but unsure if it will be on Sunday

ALLEN PARK — Nothing is certain about the availability of Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone for Sunday’s game against the Vikings. It would be his first action since he broke his left forearm on Nov. 17.

The decision will be made collaboratively by trainers, doctors, coaches and Anzalone himself.

At this point there are more questions including how much more healing will there be if he waits a week or two before he plays.
If he would re-injure it, he could be sidelined for the playoffs. It’s a factor in the decision-making process.

“You just think about OK, for me personally, obviously the doctors and trainers kind of go through what the risks are of waiting a week, waiting two weeks, going through practice and maybe letting it spin next week or the week after that or this week,’’ Anzalone said on Thursday.

“I think, for me personally, it’s like OK, say if something did happen would I be OK not playing in the Super Bowl? That’s a decision I have to make in my own head. Is it worth it? How do I feel going over these next few practices and go from there? I haven’t practiced in six weeks,’’ said Anzalone, who has a steel plate in his arm with a big scar as proof.

In Thursday’s practice he wore a carbon-fiber, padded protective wrap on the forearm.

Anzalone seems very much unclear about playing against the Vikings on Sunday night.

 “They do a really good job in the training room and our team docs, they don’t really try to put us in crazy harm’s way. There are risks of playing with injury and coming back, at the same time they do a really good job of getting you ready and putting you out there prepared and when they feel comfortable, then part of my voice and how I feel definitely goes into it,’’ Anzalone said, explaining the decision process.

While Thursday was his first practice it was not padded. He was listed as a full participant up from limited for Wednesday’s walk-through.

“That’s another thing, I haven’t tackled anyone to the ground. I’ve done some drills and tried to simulate it as much as possible. It’s one of those things, how do you feel?’’ the veteran linebacker said.

He’s been pleased to watch the development of Jack Campbell who has taken his place. 

“He’s done a really good job, taking control and being the play caller out there. He’s going to continue to grow,’’ Anzalone said. “It’s good to see a young guy take the reins in that regard, I’m proud of him.’’

Of course defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn looks forward to Anzalone’s return.

“Just him, his presence, his common presence and the players get so used to being around. That’s nothing against Jack, they’re just two totally different people in how they operate. I’m looking forward to getting him back out there. I can’t say if he’ll be out there this week. He’s getting himself back to acclimate how we do things and practicing. Hoping we get him back really soon,’’ Glenn said before Thursday’s practice.

While he’s been off, Anzalone said it hasn’t been too difficult to watch his teammates play  because he knew he’d be back around this time. It also probably helps that they’ve only lost one game in his absence.

What he doesn’t like is the league-wide chatter that the Lions defense, which has many key injuries, is not good enough to win the Super Bowl.

“I think it’s bullshit honestly, it’s one of those things. We have to do our part and limit points, that’s the No. 1 goal as a defense,’’ Anzalone said. “We haven’t been doing that recently but at the same time to say we’re not good enough to win the Super Bowl I think that’s pretty dumb.’’

INJURY UPDATE: CB Emmanuel Moseley (illness), G Christian Mahogany (illness) and RB David Montgomery (knee) did not practice on Thursday.

UP NEXT: Vikings (14-2) at Lions (14-2), 8:20 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field. Winner earns the NFC”s No. 1 seed.

Lions comfortable at home or on the road for playoffs, but Vikings are the focus this week

ALLEN PARK — Owning a perfect 8-0 road record, could give Dan Campbell some comfort heading into Sunday’s huge game against the Vikings. But the Lions coach does not see the game, pitting 14-win teams, that way.

The winner earns the No. 1 seed, a bye week and home field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser heads out on the road and has to play in a wild-card game.

“We’re very comfortable on the road, it comes with preparation, time on task, guys do it for long periods of time, the way we train, guys handle those things well,’’ Campbell said on Wednesday. “We’ll do what we’ve got to do. Our mindset is wholly on this game right now.

“You don’t see it another way, it’s about this next game and finding a way to win, no different than what we just did. We had to find a way to win that game in San Francisco against a team that gave us what they had. They played hard. We had to do it in Chicago the week before so it’s the next one in front of us. We have to find a way to win this game, period. I really don’t care what it looks like we’ve just got to win.’’

Got that?

The Vikings (14-2) have won nine straight and quarterback Sam Darnold is having a career season.

However, the Lions (14-2) defeated the Vikings, 31-29, in Week 7 and have not lost an NFC North contest. Detroit bounced back with a 40-34 win at San Francisco on Monday night after beating Chicago the previous week.

Campbell said he feels the Lions have been in playoff mode since the loss to Buffalo on Dec. 15.

“That’s what this last stretch has been – the way we’re going to have to play. It’s more about finding a way to win and that’s really the objective here is do what we have to do, put our guy in position to make plays and find a way to win no matter what it looks like and we’ve been in that mode for a few weeks now,’’ Campbell said. “Same thing this week.’’

All season the NFC North ratings have been snug.

“It seems like we’ve been playing kind of  that way all year, feeling like we have to win every game. I’m sure they felt the same way,’’ Jared Goff said. “When you’ve got two teams like we’ve been going – every three with Green Bay for most of the year where it’s been 1, 2 you have to feel like you have to keep winning.’’

The Lions’ only two losses have come at home, but it’s a place they love to play. 

“We always look forward to that, we’ve got the best fans in the League. Look, you talk about the 1 seed because you feel like you have an advantage when you play at home,’’ Campbell said. “Not everybody can say that, we can because we do. The way our fans and our stadium is set up, it’s a special environment.’

INJURY UPDATE: LB Alex Anzalone, who has been out since Week 11 with a broken forearm, returned to practice on Wednesday which was actually a walk-through. “We’ll see how he does. Tomorrow will be a big day to see where he’s at,’’ Campbell said. Anzalone could provide a huge boost to the injury-depleted defense. In the Lions win over the Vikings in Week 7, Anzalone had a team-high eight tackles. …. WR Kalif Raymond, who missed the last five games with a foot injury, also returned to practice on Wednesday.

Five reasons the Lions were able to fight back to defeat the 49ers

It did not seem like a ‘meaningless’ game

Another Lions win, more franchise records.

With the 40-34 victory at the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, the Lions have won 14 games in a season for the first time in history and finished with an 8-0 road record, another first.

While Monday night’s game technically didn’t mean a thing for the playoff standings, coach Dan Campbell had said they were going out to win it, no holding back. Like always, he was a man of his word.

He said it was a tough decision but the right thing was to play the guys, saying he owed it to the team. “You cross your fingers and hope nobody gets hurt,’’ Campbell said. “We were fortunate.”

Sunday night’s game against the Vikings at Ford Field is for the NFC No. 1 seed and a bye. The loser will be the No. 5 seed. Huge difference. Campbell called it a “fairy tale” scenario with two 14-win teams battling it out.

On Monday night, Detroit’s defense tightened up, holding San Francisco to just 14 points (one touchdown with 43 seconds left) in the second half, after allowing three touchdowns in the first half. The 49ers were up 21-13 at the half.

Prior to the game, the Lions downplayed the revenge factor. They lost to the 49ers, 34-31, in the same location in the NFC Championship game last January.

“It was good to get this one, good to come to the scene of the crime and get it done,’’ Campbell said.

Five reasons the Lions won:

ONE: Jared Goff had the Lions offense rolling, throwing three touchdown passes – to Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. “Goff played lights out,’’ Campbell said. Goff said he thinks the whole offense has been playing at an elevated level. He completed 26 of 34 attempts for 303 yards. He’s completed at least 70 percent of his passes for 11 straight games. The Lions set a single-season franchise record by producing 20-plus points in 14-straight games. He’s the only quarterback to pass for three or more touchdowns in four straight games in franchise history. 

TWO:  Safety Kerby Joseph intercepted Brock Purdy twice in the second half to give him a league-leading nine picks. The Lions took advantage of both turnovers, scoring a touchdown on a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown and then a touchdown scamper by Jahmyr Gibbs.  “When we needed it the most, he came up in a big way,’’ Campbell said, noting it wasn’t just his picks but he also made critical tackles. The Lions defense, which is missing so many key guys, did not have its best game. They could get linebacker Alex Anzalone back either for the Vikings or first playoff game.

THREE: While the Lions defense limited Purdy in the second half, they will have to play much better to beat Sam Darnold and the Vikings on Sunday night. Too often 49ers receivers were wide open and they had no answer for the play-action. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has his work cut out although the Lions did beat the Vikings 31-29 on Oct 20 in Minnesota. “For me, do you want to play a little bit better? Yeah, you do in areas. We calmed some things down in the second half, A.G. and those guys did a good job. We talked about disruption and takeaways and we got those,’’ Campbell said of the defense. “I feel good because I know the most important thing is we do complement each other.’’

FOUR: The run game flourished again without the injured David Montgomery. Jahmyr Gibbs had a stellar showing with 161 yards from scrimmage — 18 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 46 yards. Running back Craig Reynolds pitched in with seven carries for 41 yards and two catches for 35 yards.

FIVE:  Wide receiver Jameson Williams scored the Lions first two touchdowns – one rushing for 3 yards and one receiving on a 42-yarder from Goff. He became the fourth Lion with more than 1,000 scrimmage yards this season. He joins Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. “We’ve got a good group, an unselfish group,’’ Goff said.

UP NEXT: Lions (14-2) host the Vikings (14-2) at 8:15 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field for the NFC North title and the NFC No. 1 seed.