In their 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions lost star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to an ankle injury on just the fourth offensive play of the game. St. Brown was ruled out after halftime, and according to coach Dan Campbell, he will miss some time.
Campbell said in his postgame press conference that, while St. Brown may have avoided a lengthy absence, team doctors expect the standout pass catcher to be sidelined for multiple weeks.
"I'll know more tomorrow," Campbell said. "I don't feel like this is long-long-term. That's the good news, but it could be a week or two, maybe, if we're lucky."
On the game's second drive, St. Brown was rolled up from behind while blocking on a run play. He remained on the turf for a few minutes while he was evaluated by trainers. Eventually, St. Brown got up and walked off the field, straight to the locker room. He was initially listed as questionable to return, only to be officially ruled out in the third quarter.
In 11 games this season, St. Brown has caught 75 passes for 884 yards and nine touchdowns. The Lions on Sunday were already playing without tight end Sam LaPorta, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this month with a back injury, and wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who was inactive with an ankle injury.
Dan Campbell will call upon Jameson Williams, Tom Kennedy, plus rookies Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett, to potentially step up in St. Brown's absence.
With St. Brown out of the lineup, the Lions have some work to do if they're going to climb the NFC North standings down the stretch. Now 7-5, Detroit sits third in the NFC North, looking up at the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Over the next two weeks, the Lions get crucial NFC clashes against the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. Those games will be major tests, especially if St. Brown is sidelined.