The Detroit Lions face a high-stakes Week 18 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, which will determine the NFC North champion and secure the No. 1 seed, granting a first-round playoff bye.
A key player to monitor is linebacker Alex Anzalone, who is recovering from a broken forearm sustained in Week 11. Since then, the Lions have hoped Anzalone could return late in the regular season or during the playoffs.
Following the Lions’ Week 17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Dan Campbell mentioned that Anzalone is “really close” to returning but did not confirm his availability for the Vikings game.
“We’ll see,” Campbell told Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit regarding Anzalone’s status. “He’s doing well. He’s close. He’s really close.”
On Wednesday, an update on Anzalone’s Week 18 availability surfaced, and the news wasn’t promising.
Alex Anzalone Injury Update
Although Campbell left the possibility open, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Anzalone won’t play in Week 18.
“Alex Anzalone, the playmaking linebacker with a broken forearm, played in the Week 7 game against the Vikings, but he won’t play in this one,” Rapoport stated.
Anzalone remains on injured reserve, requiring several steps for his return. First, the Lions must designate him for return, which hasn’t occurred. After that, he needs to be activated.
Even if designated this week, it doesn’t guarantee he will play. A similar situation happened with wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who was designated to return but wasn’t activated.
Having Anzalone back for Week 18 would be significant, but ensuring he’s healthy for the playoffs takes precedence.
Based on Campbell’s remarks, it’s likely Anzalone returns for the Lions’ first playoff game. However, this is speculative, with no official confirmation yet.
Until then, the Lions will rely on Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Trevor Nowaske, and Ben Niemann to step up alongside Jack Campbell.