DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions while playing the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field on September 13, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Detroit Lions showed good fight in their Week 2 battle against the Buffalo Bills , but the optics of their 41-31 Thursday Night Football defeat aren't exactly encouraging. While the offense is more than capable of putting up points, it's not going to matter unless the defense can find a way to get some stops.
Slowing down the Bills' high-powered offense is obviously easier said than done, but things aren't going to be getting any easier for the Lions moving forward. In particular, their secondary has been battered by injuries, and per head coach Dan Campbell, the team has received a crushing update on that status of veteran cornerback Avonte Maddox .
Injuries have been the story in the secondary for Detroit to start the year. Playing without its starting safety duo of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph has hurt, and the depth at cornerback hasn't been much better, as Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Keith Abney II have both been dealing with injuries, too.
Maddox, a cornerback by trade, had been filling in at safety to help the defense get by without Branch and Joseph. He had been solid early on in the season, racking up 10 tackles and two pass breakups during his time on the field. His time playing against Buffalo was cut short, though, after he was carted off the field with a foot injury.
The hope was that Maddox wouldn't have to miss much time, as the Lions can't afford to lose any more bodies in their secondary. Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario for Maddox's injury ended up coming to fruition, as Campbell revealed he will have to undergo season-ending surgery .
Lions DB Avonte Maddox will miss the remainder of the season as his foot injury requires surgery. 'That hurts a little bit. Maddox is a good player for us,' Campbell said," Eric Woodyard of ESPN shared in a post on X.
GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions while playing the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field on September 13, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
With Maddox out, the only other two healthy safeties on the roster are Chuck Clark and Thomas Harper , meaning the Lions will almost certainly have to make a move at this spot before their Week 3 action. Injuries are a part of football, unfortunately, but Detroit is about as banged up as you can get at this position.
The good news for the Lions is that they still have a 1-1 record, and a game against the New York Jets in Week 3 should offer them an opportunity to get back in the win column. If they can't find a way to piece things together in their secondary, though, this season could quickly start to look more and more like the disappointing 2025 campaign that this team is doing its best to avoid recreating.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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