The Detroit Lions and their fans held their collective breath in Week 13 after wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown went down with an injury.
St. Brown suffered an ankle injury in the first half and never returned to the contest. Adding insult to injury, the Lions also lost the game.
After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell revealed that St. Brown could miss a week or two, "if we're lucky."
"So that's the good news, but that doesn't mean it won't be here for, could be a week or two maybe, if we're lucky," Campbell said of St. Brown's injury.
Amon-Ra St. Brown injury update
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, St. Brown's injury has been diagnosed as a low-ankle sprain, which is good news considering a high-ankle issue could be a four to six week injury.
The expectation is St. Brown will avoid injured reserve and he is considered week to week.
"Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is believed to have suffered a low ankle sprain Sunday, sources say, and while he continues to be evaluated, it’s good news so far on his chances for returning sooner than later," Pelissero reported. "At this point, Amon-Ra St. Brown is not expected to land on IR and likely will be week-to-week as the Lions enter the stretch run,"
We should get our next update on St. Brown no later than Monday, when the Lions drop their first injury report ahead of the Week 14 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Why Amon-Ra St. Brown's absence matters
St. Brown is easily the most consistent playmaker in the passing attack Detroit has, and that has been the case for multiple years now as the veteran wideout has established himself as one of the best at his position in the NFL.
Fellow wide receiver Jameson Williams has been a valuable No. 2 since 2024, but he is also incredibly inconsistent at times and it's hard to depend on him to step into the No. 1 role vacated by St. Brown if he does miss time.
The Lions are also short on depth when it comes to pass-catchers, which is another painful reality in the wake of St. Brown's injury.
Tight end Sam LaPorta is dealing with a back injury that could force him to miss the rest of the season, wide receiver Kalif Raymond is dealing with an ankle injury that forced him to sit in Week 13, and rookie Isaac TeSlaa is unproven.
Losing St. Brown for any period of time is going to hurt the Lions' offense badly, and that is also going to make winning games and getting to the playoffs more difficult.
Hopefully, St. Brown will once again live up to his status as one of the toughest players in the NFL and overcomes the injury en route to playing in Week 14.
But, if not, his absence will be yet another bad blow to Detroit's playoff chances.
Lions' Super Bowl push in serious danger
Unlike last season, the Lions aren't cruising to the playoffs.
Instead, Detroit is on the outside looking in for a wild-card spot as we enter Week 14, with Detroit currently in the No. 8 spot in the NFC playoff picture.
The Lions are also sitting in third place in the NFC North and are a full three games back of the Chicago Bears for the division lead when you factor in the tie-breaker.
This team needs all hands on deck if it's going to climb the steep hill toward the postseason. Not having St. Brown would make that climb even steeper.
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