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Detroit Lions injuries: Marcus Davenport could miss season, Derrick Barnes out a long time
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- Detroit Lions injuries: Marcus Davenport could miss season, Derrick Barnes out a long time
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said two key pass rushers are going to be out a significant amount of time a day after beating the Arizona Cardinals 20-13 on the road .
Campbell on Monday said defensive end Marcus Davenport could be out for the season after he suffered an elbow injury in the second half and chess piece linebacker Derrick Barnes is expected to miss "a significant" amount of time after he was carted off with a knee injury.
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"Davenport will be out, looks like that's a season-ender there," Campbell said at the team's facility in Allen Park. "So still getting some other opinions on it. Barnes is going to be down a significant amount of time."
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Campbell said the Lions are waiting for the swelling to go down in Barnes' knee before making a decision on whether or not he will need to go on injured reserve.
"We're still getting second opinions on that," Campbell said. "What we know right now is he's going to be down fro a little while."
He said safety Brian Branch , who led the team with nine tackles, is in concussion protocol and is considered day-to-day after leaving after a scary collision with Trey McBride late. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill (shoulder) and tight end Sam LaPorta (ankle) are also considered day-to-day.
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"Really, everybody else is day-to-day," Campbell said. "Mac (McNeill) will be day-to-day, LaPorta is day-to-day, Branch is in protocol, but as of today he's doing pretty good so we'll see where that goes."
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Barnes left the game on the second possession after being blocked low. He was carted off and ruled out with a knee injury. He was on the field for every defensive snap at outside or off-ball linebacker until he went down with the injury. Malcolm Rodriguez , Jack Campbell , Ben Niemann and Jalen Reeves-Maybin were the main linebackers for the rest of the game with Alex Anzalone also out with a concussion.
"It's going to hurt to lose Barnes," Campbell said. "Barnes is playing at a high level, but if it's going to happen in any room, the linebacker room gives you faith because all those guys can play. We have a ton of faith in those guys."
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) and linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) celebrate a play against Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
McNeill went down at the end of the second quarter with a shoulder injury he suffered rushing the quarterback and did not return. LaPorta left just before halftime with a sprained ankle. Jahmyr Gibbs was tackled into the back of his legs while blocking as he crossed the end zone on the hook-and-ladder touchdown. He was carted to the locker room but returned in the second half on a limited basis.
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The Lions will have to find another pass rusher to complement Aidan Hutchinson since Davenport and Barnes were the main two options in the first three games. Campbell said they built the team to anticipate injuries and is confident in backup options like Josh Paschal .
"I have a lot of faith (in the depth)," Campbell said. "And Paschal's gonna, it's gonna be big for him. He's gonna take on a load over there now and he played an outstanding game."
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions injuries: Marcus Davenport may be done, Barnes out awhile
