The Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8, but the big concern coming out of the game is to Jack Campbell, who was transported to the hospital for evaluation for a possible spine injury.
Here are the injuries I saw along with suspected diagnoses.
🔴Bad news or high concern
🟡Uncertain or moderately concerning
🟢Good news or low concern
🟡 Amon-Ra St. Brown (1Q 6:16) - Left knee
Amon-Ra showed up on the sideline with a left knee wrap in the second quarter.
I reviewed Amon-Ra’s plays, and this one where he adjusted to catch a tipped pass stood out.
He visibly limped and grabbed at his left knee occasionally later in the game. He finished out the game without any significant disability, but this injury is one to watch. He likely will get imaging, so hope for no surprises.
St. Brown had knee clean-up surgery in 2025, and the main concern today would be meniscus or articular cartilage damage.
🟢 Amon-Ra St. Brown (1Q 4:27) - Concussion evaluation
ARSB was slow getting up and looked a bit dazed after this play. Maybe that was due to a knee injury from moments before. The video was also initially concerning for a shoulder or ribs with how hard he landed. He was taken into the locker room for a concussion evaluation and was cleared. He was in on the next drive and finished out the game.
🟡 Cade Mays (2Q 12:53) - Left ankle
Mays hobbled off with an apparent left ankle injury. On video, his left ankle inverts, which can cause a low-ankle sprain. He did not return to the game. A low-ankle sprain would be best-case scenario.
🔴 DJ Wonnum (2Q 2:57) - Concussion
🔴 Brian Branch (2Q 2:57) - Concussion
Both players got a concussion on this friendly-fire hit.
What are the chances they will be available in seven days? Here is my 3-year analysis of Lions concussion return-to-play data…
The median return to play (RTP) over the past three years was 11 days. This year, Jabari Small RTP in 7 days, Ben Bartch in 13 days, and Mekhi Wingo in 9 days.
There is certainly a chance that Wonnum and Branch could play next Sunday, but it will depend on how quickly their symptoms resolve.
🟡 Jacob Saylors (3Q) - Neck
Saylors had a neck injury last game, so today’s injury is very likely an aggravation of that. The pre-existing injury was presumably a mild strain/sprain, which wouldn’t be a big deal.
🔴 Jack Campbell (3Q 2:33 & 4Q 14:48) - Head/neck trauma
Late in the 3rd quarter, Jack got up slowly after a head trauma. Just about 3 minutes of gametime (7 plays) later, he hit his head again and his whole body went limp. Were these two events related somehow? That’s very possible. Here is the video cut of both plays…
Either a concussion or a spinal injury can cause a person to go limp. Campbell was on the field for many minutes and then transported to the hospital on a spine board. Best-case scenario is that Jack has “only” a concussion. Clearly, there was at least some level of concern for a spinal injury, but it’s impossible to say how much was precautionary.
If this turns out to be a spine injury, that initial play where he led with his head down would become very suspicious for the incipient cause of the injury…
His final play shows him get hit in the facemask, which usually does not cause a spinal injury by itself.
As Jack was carted off, I did not see any movement of his hands or feet, but he was also fully strapped in.
In postgame, Dan Campbell offered no news or updates. That in itself is concerning.
The situation is similar to what we saw in 2022 with Saivion Smith, who had a temporary paralysis after a benign-looking play.
For more on Saivion Smith and his recovery, visit this story…
The Lions posted this update at 7pm ET…
This update has some positive-sounding words in “resting” and “tonight”. However, it doesn’t address the critical question of whether Jack has movement in his limbs. The longer it goes without specific updates to his neurological status, the more concerning it becomes for a serious, long-term spinal issue.
Possibilities for a temporary paralysis include transient quadriparesis, spinal shock, herniated disc, fracture, dislocation, and cord contusion.
🔴 Jimmy Rolder (4Q 14:48) - Hamstring
It’s unknown the severity of the current hamstring, but he was in visible pain, and had trouble even getting up. The video did not show the injury. Rolder missed about 6 weeks with a hamstring sustained in training camp. There is concern for a significant aggravation of the injury from camp.
🟡 DJ Reed (4Q 14:29) - Right hip
Reed landed hard on his right hip here, limped off, and did not return to the game. This mechanism could cause a simple hip pointer (contusion), which wouldn’t be too big of a deal.
🟢 Jahmyr Gibbs (4Q 1:51) - Right AC joint sprain aggravation
Gibbs had a suspected right AC joint sprain last game. He appeared to aggravate it when he landed hard on his shoulder late in today’s game. An AC sprain generally isn’t a major problem. He’ll have an XR to check for severity, but I expect him to be available for next game.
Notables
🟡Ennis Rakestraw (CB) came into the game with a left ankle injury. I didn’t see him play until the 4th quarter after DJ Reed left.
🟢Roger McCreary (CB) entered the game with a questionable designation and was active and looked totally fine. That makes 6 of 7 questionables who have played (86%).
🟢Tate Ratledge (RG) had signs of a right stinger last game. I did not see any issue this game, and he also was not wearing a neck roll. That’s all good news.
Seems like in particularly serious situations they bring an ambulance on the field. In this case, they opted to use the cart instead. Does this offer any optimism or is ambulance not an option at Ford Field?