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Amik Robertson set for surgery on arm; Detroit Lions won't blame injuries for key penalty
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- Amik Robertson set for surgery on arm; Detroit Lions won't blame injuries for key penalty
The Detroit Lions were snake-bit by injuries this season, all the way till the brutal end.
The Lions lost two more key defensive players to injuries in Saturday's 45-31 divisional-round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders .
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Cornerback Amik Robertson broke his left arm on the Lions' second defensive snap and will undergo surgery Sunday, Lions coach Dan Campbell said. And safety Ifeatu Melifonwu left the game with a hamstring injury.
The Lions finished the season with five defensive starters and several key backups on injured reserve, and those losses took a toll on a defense that allowed 30-plus points in four of its final six games. The Lions forced one punt Saturday and allowed 481 net yards of offense.
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"It hurts to lose like this, knowing the expectations we had as a team," defensive end Josh Paschal said. "You're also thankful when you look around the locker room for all the guys that put everything that they had into this season and it's a mix of heartbreak and gratefulness. So I'm definitely thankful for everybody in this room."
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The Lions lost defensive starters Marcus Davenport ( torn triceps ) and Derrick Barnes ( torn MCL and PCL ) to season-ending injuries in Week 2, top pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg in Week 6, and defensive tackle Alim McNeill ( torn AC L) and cornerback Carlton Davis III (broken jaw) in mid-December.
Backup defensive tackle Kyle Peko and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez also suffered season-ending injuries during the year, and Melifonwu and linebacker Alex Anzalone spent time on injured reserve.
On Saturday, the Lions finished the game with Kindle Vildor and Terrion Arnold at cornerback and Kerby Joseph and Morice Norris at safety. Brian Branch was in and out of Saturday's game in the second half with an undisclosed injury.
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Campbell acknowledged Robertson's injury Saturday "hurt a little bit," but said it didn't change much of what the Lions did on defense. Robertson was injured when he was hit in the arm by Lions linebacker Jack Campbell while trying to make a tackle.
"KV came in, did a good job for us," Campbell said. "He competed out there."
The Commanders converted 4 of 5 fourth downs Saturday, including a fourth-and-2 from the Detroit 5-yard line when the Lions had 12 men on the field early in the fourth quarter. Trevor Nowaske ran onto the field for the play, no one on the Lions' defense ran off, and Washington scored a touchdown two plays later to take a 38-28 lead.
Paschal said that miscommunication error fell on the entire defense and had nothing to do with the Lions' injury woes, while Campbell put the blame for the mistake on himself.
Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) grimaces as he is helped off the field after an injury in the first quarter against the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
"I just think that was on all of us as a defense," Paschal said. "Players and coaches. We got to do a better job as players of communicating, too. That's on us."
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Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline," at 6:30 p.m. Monday at DC Sports in Sterling Heights.
Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions CB Amik Robertson set for surgery on broken arm
