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Detroit Lions DT Alim McNeill traveling to Dallas but still out: 'I feel really good'
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- Detroit Lions DT Alim McNeill traveling to Dallas but still out: 'I feel really good'
Alim McNeill was at his metro Detroit house last week watching as the Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings to clinch the organization's first division title in 30 years.
He yelled in triumph when Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepted a late Nick Mullens pass to seal the win, and he felt a flood of emotions when he watched postgame videos of his teammates celebrating on social media.
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As happy as McNeill was for everyone involved, he felt, for the first time since he sprained his MCL in a Week 13 win over the New Orleans Saints , a tinge of disappointment that he wasn't there to join in the fun.
Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill celebrates a defensive stop against the Packers during the second quarter on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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"If there was anytime I wish I was there, it was that moment right there," McNeill told the Free Press on Thursday.
McNeill asked Lions coach Dan Campbell this week if he could resume traveling with the team, and he'll be on the sideline Saturday when the Lions play the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in a game with serious playoff implications for both teams.
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The Lions (11-4) are tied with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC's best record. They need wins in their final two games to clinch the No. 2 seed — meaning they wouldn't leave Ford Field until a potential NFC championship game — and still have an outside shot at the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye, if the 49ers lose another game.
The Cowboys (10-5) are a game behind the Eagles in the NFC East standings.
"We know we've got a big task here in front of us," Campbell said. "This is a good team. They're going to be looking for a win. They play well at home and — but that's where you're at. We're in December. Everybody's playing pretty good football now, especially this team we're getting ready to play, so we just have to play clean football, be ready to go."
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is sacked by Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium, Oct. 23, 2022 in Arlington, Texas.
For McNeill, joining his teammates on the road again is a sign he's close to a return.
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He's eligible to come off injured reserve next week and said he expects to return to practice in the coming days. The Lions close the regular season at home against the Vikings and will have at least one home playoff game at Ford Field.
"That's the plan, I guess," McNeill said. "Honestly, I got to get like the full plan from (the team) after (Friday). But yeah, that's my hope. I feel really good. I don't see why not. I don't want to give too much or whatever, I don't know how it works with that. But yeah, the plan is to get back as fast as I can. And this is my fourth week, this is the last week on that short-term (IR). I feel really good, so that's the plan."
McNeill was playing the best football of his career before his injury, and the Lions will need his presence in the middle of their defensive line to make an extended playoff run.
He ranks second on the Lions (behind Aidan Hutchinson ) with a career-high five sacks and is the most well-rounded interior lineman on the roster.
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill pressures Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023.
McNeill said he did not require surgery on his knee and has been back "training like it's the offseason" for three weeks.
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"I expect there to be a little rust," he said. "But (I've been) doing some hand work, drill work, whatever. Everything still feels right in the same motion, everything still feels normal. Still the same explosion if not more. ... I expect to be a little bit rusty, but I feel like I should be able to hop back in and go to work."
McNeill is one of three regulars the Lions could add in the coming weeks to a defense that ranks 24th in the NFL in points allowed.
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has practiced for two weeks in his return from a torn pectoral muscle and could play in Week 18 against the Vikings , and edge rusher James Houston returned to practice Thursday for the first time since fracturing his fibula in September.
Houston had eight sacks in seven games last season, while Gardner-Johnson tied for the team lead with 13 tackles through two games this year. Both players have been out since Week 2, and the Lions are giving both significant ramp-up periods to get ready for game action.
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McNeill won't need nearly as much time to get back.
"That was the mindset I've had through this whole thing," he said. "Come back with fresh legs, I've been training like it's the offseason so I'm going to come back stronger than everybody. I don't know, I think it's going to be a good thing."
And after missing out on last week's locker room celebration, McNeill said he wants to see to it that he gets to take part in "a couple more."
"That was a huge goal — huge goal," he said. "But we accomplished it and it's in the past now, so we're onto Dallas and we're just moving on. Playoffs. Super Bowl's the goal. That's everybody's goal on every team, so that's the goal."
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Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alim McNeill among reinforcements coming soon to Detroit Lions defense
