Sad news: Lions anticipate to lose two important players for the NFC championship game.
DETROIT — The Lions have progressed to the NFC championship game, but it has come at a significant cost.
Left guard Jonah Jackson (knee) and tight end Brock Wright (forearm) were injured in the 31-23 victory over Tampa, and neither is likely to return in time for next week’s Super Bowl play-in game against San Francisco.
“Doesn’t look real good for next week,” head coach Dan Campbell remarked. “But we’ll see.”
It’s worth noting that Campbell used a similar tone with tight end Sam LaPorta last week, and the rookie tight end did not miss a game. He scored a fourth-down touchdown pass against the Los Angeles Rams a few days later and added nine catches for 65 yards in the win over Tampa.
Having said that, it does not seem promising for the latest round of injuries. Jackson has also endured a number of them this season, missing a career-high five games, including the first game against Tampa.
With fellow guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai on injured reserve, the Lions are currently without two of their top three guards. That would upset most attacks, yet the Lions have performed admirably with their top offensive line on the field this season. However, they also played their most explosive game following the Jackson injury against Tampa, reeling off three consecutive touchdown drives in the second half to finally pull away from the Bucs.
Kayode Awosika replaced Jackson against the Buccaneers and received high praise from Campbell after the game.
“I thought ‘Yode stepped up, that was good to see,” Campbell added. “He went right in there, and I believe we had a five-step drop right out of the gate, and he just got in there and did great. ‘Yode’s has continued to improve over the last two years. He’s sort of grown and grown. And the last time we played Tampa, he was there for us. But I believe he did some very good things.”
The Lions also momentarily lost center Frank Ragnow to what appeared to be a leg injury late in the second quarter, but Ragnow managed to finish the game despite obvious pain. Ragnow stated that he intends to play against the 49ers, and what else would you expect from a player who has battled toe, knee, and back problems all season and returned from meniscus surgery in just one week to play against the Chicago Bears?
Still, Ragnow appears to be battered up right now, adding to the offensive line’s concerns as it prepares to face San Francisco’s formidable defensive line.
Wright isn’t as essential to the offense as Jackson and Ragnow, but he’s a dependable role player who turned a short third-down ball into a 29-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter to seal the victory over Tampa. This resulted in Craig Reynolds’ 1-yard touchdown run, one of three touchdowns that broke open the game.
Wright left the game shortly after making his catch due to a forearm injury. He was seen in the changing room wearing a hard cast on his injury. It would not be surprising if his season ended.
With fellow backup tight end James Mitchell recovering from hand surgery, Detroit is down to LaPorta and newly acquired Anthony Firkser at the position. Detroit may have to hunt free agency to shore up the numbers at the position moving into San Francisco.
