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Injuries piling up on Detroit Lions' defense; Derrick Barnes, Alim McNeill ruled out
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- Injuries piling up on Detroit Lions' defense; Derrick Barnes, Alim McNeill ruled out
Detroit Lions first-round rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold is fighting through a knee injury Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 of the NFL season .
Arnold limped off the field in the first quarter at the end of the Cardinals' first offensive drive at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona , but returned midway through the second quarter. He was coming up the field to try to tackle quarterback Kyler Murray as he leaked out of the pocket on a scramble. Murray went to the ground before Arnold arrived and the rookie corner took a shot to his lower leg and grabbed his knee.
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Arnold missed one possession, where the defense forced a punt, before coming back onto the field for the defense's third possession.
On the second possession, linebacker Derrick Barnes took a chop block to the knee and stayed on the ground. He was eventually carted off the field with a towel over his head. Barnes was starting next to Jack Campbell to fill in for Alex Anzalone , who was ruled out pregame after he suffered a concussion last week. Barnes is a key piece of the Lions' defense early as a versatile run-stopper in the front seven.
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After halftime, the Lions announced that Barnes was out for the remainder of the game with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, talented defensive tackle Alim McNeill also got banged up and was listed by the Lions as questionable after halftime with a shoulder injury. He was not on the field at the start of the Cardinals' opening drive out of the break and was ruled out for the game shortly after.
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Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike also left the field on that drive with a slight limp and received attention from trainers on the sideline but returned a possession later.
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Rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (hamstring) and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (Achilles/ankle) were also ruled out before the team made the trip to Glendale.
Arnold, the 24th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, missed practice this week as he recovered from a finger issue that he picked up in the Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , then dealt with an illness in the second half of the week. He has left each of the Lions games this season to get worked on by trainers but returned in Weeks 1 and 2.
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Detroit is trying to get back above .500 after losing at home to the Buccaneers in Week 2.
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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: Terrion Arnold injury: Lions CB hurts knee; Derrick Barnes carted off
