I finally managed to get the sand out of every crevice of my body and sat down to watch the TV copy. There were a couple of minor issues, most notably to Amon-Ra.
But first, some observations from the stadium. (The complete stadium experience and city of Miami review will be in a future standalone article. Spoiler alert: spectacular.)
Lions vs Dolphins In-Stadium Observations
The crowd included the highest percentage of Lions fans of any road game I’ve attended. It felt like a 50/50 split, with the legitimate possibility of there actually being more Lions fans than Dolphins fans. The tropical destination, numerous Michigan transplants, and dismal Dolphins season made this outcome predictable.
There wasn’t much crowd noise throughout the game due to the 50/50 split and the less-than-thrilling game.
On Jameson Williams’ 2nd quarter drop, I saw him clearly jump too early, which caused the drop. The mistimed jump wasn’t as obvious on TV. That’s a couple notable times this season that Jamo has jumped too early on a high pass.
There were a ton of holding calls on the Dolphins. From the stadium, it was hard to tell if the refs were calling it tight or whether they were legit. After watching the TV copy, they were legit.
The sun was beating down on the Lions sideline until about midway through the third quarter. Could this have been partially to blame for their sluggish play in the first half?
Lions sideline in the sun:
Once the sideline was shaded, the Lions scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter. Correlation or causation?
Lions sideline in the shade:
On the play before Jahmyr Gibbs’ touchdown, the Lions were definitely targeting Skyler Gill-Howard for a score. The broadcast crew didn’t pick this up. The play happened right in front of me, and I could see Goff eyeing him. On the video, you can see SGH in motion, but he gets covered up nicely by the defender on his route.
We’ll see if the Lions can get SGH his touchdown later this season.
Lions vs Patriots Postgame Injury Report
These observations with suspected diagnoses are a combination of what I saw in-stadium along with the TV copy.
🔴Bad news or high concern
🟡Uncertain or moderately concerning
🟢Good news or low concern
🟢Amon-Ra St. Brown (2Q 13:11) - Left AC joint or ribs
St. Brown lands hard on his left shoulder. He is listed with only ribs on the current injury report, so maybe he just aggravated his rib injury from the previous week. But the way he is holding his arm afterwards suggests he may have hurt his shoulder AC joint.
🟢Roger McCreary (2Q 9:06) - Right hip area contusion
McCreary lands hard on his right side and immediately reaches for his right hip area. What wasn’t shown on TV was that he continued to hold that right hip as he jogged to the sideline. He returned to the game and looked fine, so probably just a briefly-painful contusion.
Lions vs Patriots Midweek Injury Report
Due to the unusual practice and travel schedule, three Lions are already ruled out as they won’t be traveling to Germany - Joseph, Mays, & Reed.
🔴No practice (NP)
🟡Limited practice (LP)
🟢Full practice (FP)
* Current starter
🔴Sione Vaki, RB - Ankle
Projection: IN
Games missed for this injury: 0
A second NP raises some doubt as to his availability, but I still expect him to be in. He was in and looked fine on the final, real offensive snap, which was a QB sneak.
🟡*Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR - Ribs
Projection: IN
Games missed for this injury: 0
Two LPs are an excellent sign for his availability - in case there was any doubt.
🟢*Brian Branch, S - Hip
Projection: IN
Games missed for this injury: 0
This hip issue must be something very benign like a contusion, as he’s already up to an FP. I didn’t see anything notable at the game or on TV. No concerns here.
🟢*Jared Goff, QB - Chest
Projection: IN
Games missed for this injury: 0
In watching the game live and on TV, there was no indication of any chest injury or any trouble breathing. One of the major concerns with a “chest” is the lungs. He didn’t appear to take any big hits, which can cause a pulmonary contusion. That’s an issue that can be very minor with no missed time - see Justin Jefferson in 2023.
It can’t be a pneumothorax, as air travel would not be allowed at this point. Some kind of mild sternum injury is a possibility. It will be interesting to see if a diagnosis ever gets revealed.
🟢*DJ Wonnum, EDGE - Concussion
Projection: IN
Games missed so far for this injury: 1
No setbacks for Wonnum with the concussion, so he’s in.
🟢Jacob Saylors, RB - Neck/hamstring
Projection: IN
Games missed so far for this injury: 1
That’s two FPs this week for Saylors.
Already Ruled OUT
🟢*Kerby Joseph, S - Left knee
Games missed for this injury: All season
Kerby got the FP that we’ve been looking for, but we don’t know the intensity and nature of the practice. Still, it’s another step in his ramp-up. We don’t know if he’s had any swelling or pain in his knee during this ramp-up, which is the key issue. He’ll have multiple days to rest and recover now, and it will be interesting to see how many FPs he gets next week.
🔴*Cade Mays, C - Left low-ankle sprain
Games missed so far for this injury: 1
🔴*DJ Reed, CB - Hip
Games missed so far for this injury: 1
No surprises here as Mays and Reed were already basically ruled out by Dan Campbell earlier in the week. Both of their target returns might be Thanksgiving.