The Detroit Lions path to Super Bowl 59 just got a whole lot tougher.
While the Lions lost on Sunday afternoon to the Buffalo Bills, the most concerning bit of information came postgame, when two more defensive stars were ruled out for the season. Detroit is running out of warm bodies to stack against the NFC’s best, that much is for certain. It started with Aidan Hutchinson, and has now extended down the depth chart.
It takes a certain amount of bad luck to not win a Super Bowl for, oh, let’s say ever. Detroit hasn’t won a football championship since the 1950’s. The 2023-24 season left a bad taste in the Lions mouth, as they held what looked to be an insurmountable edge over the 49ers in San Francisco. In the blink of an eye, that lead was gone, and the 49ers went on to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 58.
With the entire coaching staff and majority of star players back this season, the message was simple – Super Bowl or bust. It’s been a tougher message to get across, despite the Lions record, thanks to the staggering number of injuries across this defense which was supposed to be much-improved from a year ago.
Some injuries hurt more than others.
3. An Alex Anzalone return would do wonders for the Detroit Lions
When Alex Anzalone suffered a broken arm a few weeks back, the initial fear was that he’d miss the rest of the season. While an Anzalone return during the regular season would be a surprise, especially if the Lions are able to lock up the NFC North in due time, the veteran linebacker could have a part to play in Detroit’s postseason run. Anzalone gave an encouraging update on his recovery just last week.
“They do a good job of not putting players in harm’s way (in Detroit) as opposed to many places around the league, or how traditionally the NFL is viewed. I’m just doing everything I can to accelerate the bone healing, whether it’s hyperbaric or different things in the training room. They have a million and one things you can do, they call it osteoblasts. So I’m doing everything I can, whether it’s six weeks or (less), I’m getting an x-ray soon. Who knows what the x-ray is going to say,” Anzalone said, via the Ross Tucker Football Podcast.
Anzalone has spent most of his time rehabbing, but when he’s been around the facility as well, helping his replacement Jack Campbell keep up on the field and in the film room. Anzalone has targeted the postseason for a potential comeback.
2. Alim McNeill’s injury was devastating for Lions on Sunday
Given Aidan Hutchinson and much of the Lions starting defensive line was already out, Detroit could ill-afford another severe ailment to this group. Yet, the 2024 season has humbled the Lions, and they much go on alone without Alim NcNeill, an elite 24-year-old defensive tackle who really came into his own once Hutchinson went down.
“We’ll know more tomorrow, (but) I don’t feel good about either one of those guys,” Campbell said. “Yeah, normally if I’m saying, ‘I don’t feel good,’ that means not good for the rest of the year. So, I don’t feel good about it.”
McNeill and cornerback Carlton Davis could be out for the season if Campbell’s initial prognosis is correct. While including McNeill on this list does suggest the Lions could fall short of the NFL’s ultimate prize, keep in mind the premise of the article – Detroit won’t win the Super Bowl if ALL three of these players are out for the campaign. Not one. Thankfully, the Lions can still count on one of its stars to return if everything goes according to plan.
1. Is an Aidan Hutchinson return still likely for the Lions?
Losing Aidan Hutchinson – their premiere pass-rusher and an early defensive player of the year candidate – was undoubtedly bad luck for the Lions, but it could have been a lot worse. Hutchinson’s injury was actually a clean break, which didn’t include an ligament or nerve damage. The injury also occurred early enough in the season that his initial recovery timeline – 4-to-6 months – puts Hutchinson in line to return for the Super Bowl, if not earlier.
The test for the Lions will be winning a postseason game or two without Hutchinson, and with a shorthanded defense which allowed Josh Allen to go up and down the field against them Sunday at will. Stops are tough to come by these days in Motown. As Jay Glazer expressed, there is optimism Hutchinson could return in some fashion for the NFC Championship, if the Lions can get there.
“[Detroit] might be getting one of their biggest stars back a little bit sooner than maybe they thought in Aidan Hutchinson,” Glazer said. “[The Lions] are actually holding out hope, just because of how hard he works, that he could possibly be back not [for] the Super Bowl, but the NFC Championship Game, depending on how that bone feels, and Dan Campbell says also, how much practice he can get.”
It’s a bit of a longshot, but the Lions still have a very good chance to host that game, should they be lucky enough to get there. A healthy-ish Hutchinson would go a long way in a Detroit Super Bowl run.
