Lions vs Cowboys Week 14, 2025: Postgame injury report
Goodbye, week from hell. Hello, mini-bye. At least that’s what we were all feeling coming out of the victorious Cowboys game. Unfortunately, the terrible, next-day, Brian Branch news means the week of hell is extending into a fortnight.
For those under the age of 120, fortnight means 2 weeks, not this…
Hopefully, the bad news ends soon so that we can start dancing into the playoffs.
Now, onto the injuries I saw during the Cowboys game along with suspected diagnoses.
Thomas Harper (1q, 10:03) - Concussion
Harper took a hard shot to the side of his head here…
He showed clear signs of a concussion immediately. There was even a concern from me and some readers of possible seizure activity based on the main Amazon broadcast feed. The alternate broadcast angle seemed to be reassuring that he was simply trying to get up and not seizing.
Even if he did have a seizure, the long-term concern for any recurrent seizures (epilepsy) is very low based on multiple studies. You may remember Morice Norris suffering a concussion seizure in the preseason. Norris recovered rapidly and was able to resume practicing very quickly afterwards.
How long might Harper be out with the concussion? Every concussion is different and the severity can’t always be judged by the initial symptoms. So it will depend on how quickly his symptoms clear and allow him to progress through the 5-stage protocol. He does have a realistic chance to play in the next game which is in 10 days.
Looking at Lions concussion data over this season and last, only 2 out of 9 players returned to play within 10 days (Hendon Hooker, Alim McNeill). The caveat is that unrelated circumstances often delay a return-to-play.
For the 2025 season, there have been 3 prior concussions. The return-to-play data for all of them were likely impacted by other circumstances:
Morice Norris has not returned to play in a game (depth chart).
Khalil Dorsey returned to play in 56 days (wrist injury). He had a full practice and was on track to play in 7 days though.
Terrion Arnold returned to play in 18 days (pre-existing, concurrent shoulder issue).
Projection: I would estimate a >50% chance that Harper will be able to play vs the Rams.
Brian Branch (2q, 10:09) - Possible right turf toe or Achilles aggravation
Branch had been dealing with a right toe issue for multiple weeks. It appears he may have aggravated it here when he dorsiflexed the right toes. This video may be relevant to what happened later in the game.
Jake Bates (2q, 4:18) - Possible concussion evaluation
Bates makes (another) tackle this season, and hits his head on the turf. He reportedly went to the locker room which may have been for a concussion evaluation. He returned to the game and seemed to be fine.
Projection: Unlikely that delayed concussion symptoms will develop. Very likely available for next game.
Sione Vaki (4q, 7:23) - Possible right shoulder
Video was obscured so it’s hard to say what happened, but he appeared to be nursing the right shoulder afterwards. He returned to the game later which is reassuring.
Projection: Should be available for next game unless there is a surprise on imaging.
Brian Branch (4q 3:45) - Right Achilles tear
My initial reaction was that this was a possible high ankle sprain due to the external rotation of the ankle as he was rolled up on. I did not suspect an Achilles tear as the jump-and-land would have been an unusual mechanism of injury.
In medicine, we talk about horses and zebras all the time. If you see an animal outside your window with 4 legs and galloping around, it’s almost certainly a horse. However, every once in a while, there was an escape from a nearby zoo and it’s actually a zebra. This is one reason why doctors often do “unnecessary” tests as we may be trying to rule out a zebra. Branch’s injury would land in the zebra category.
In evaluating why this may have been a zebra, there are a couple possibilities. First, his Achilles may have been compromised already which led to this culmination. This may be true of most or all Achilles ruptures.
There is a lot of circumstantial evidence that his Achilles may have already been compromised. Branch had an “ankle” listing on the practice reports over the past 2 weeks. He also had an ankle listing in early October and got an MRI on his “foot” back then. Achilles are often listed as ankle on the official team reports (Branch’s in-game listing for his Achilles tear was an ankle). The insertion of the Achilles into the heel is part of the foot which could explain the “foot” MRI.
It’s possible all these prior injuries are related to his Achilles injury. His injury earlier in the game (see above) may have also aggravated the Achilles.
The other possibility when looking at the video is that the slight external rotation of Branch’s ankle as he was rolled up on was just enough added strain on the Achilles to cause the catastrophic result. If so, this would be tragically bad, split-second timing for it to occur just as he had landed and was actively contracting his calf muscle.
A reader made a good point that there is even the possibility of 2 separate injuries here.
Projection: Likely 10-11 month recovery. Probably starts training camp on PUP. Hope for return-to-play in October.
TIDBITS
Former Lion phenom, James Houston, picked up a sack on the first series. While he might not have the extraordinary bend he had prior to his severe ankle injury, he still has a good burst. For a Lions team that has been in desperate need of a pass rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson for multiple years, it’s really unfortunate that Houston was not able to work out in Detroit.
Amon-Ra St. Brown played just 7 days after his right low ankle sprain. He slipped while running a route on the 2nd series which may have been due to the ankle weakness. For the rest of the game, he adjusted well and finished with 6 receptions for 92 yards. There were no apparent setbacks, thus he expect him to be even healthier for the Rams game.
Miles Frazier was active for the first time in his career and was inserted at LG on the 3rd series of the game in the 1st quarter. He rotated with Trystan Colon the rest of the game. Seeing him get significant playing time is a great sign after missing training camp and half the season with an unspecified knee injury. He is following the same path as Christian Mahogany last year who also missed training camp and the first half of the season (mono), but quickly became the primary OG backup after that. Regardless of Frank Ragnow’s future plans, the appearance of Frazier is a good sign for the Lions interior offensive line moving forward.