Glendale, Arizona. – Sunday’s game between the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium was a costly one in the first two quarters.
With the Lions already losing defensive captain and linebacker Alex Anzalone, linebacker Derrick Barnes was taken to the locker room with a towel over his head in the second quarter. Rookie Cardinals tight end Tip Reimann pressed a helmet to Barnes’ knee while blocking, ultimately leading to a 3-yard gain by Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Barnes was officially downgraded to out early in the second half.
On one of the final plays of the half, Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill cautiously left the field due to an injury. He was ruled out early in the second half with a shoulder injury.
On one of the coolest touchdowns you’ve ever seen – a hook-and-ladder scored by Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs – tight end Sam LaPorta appeared to suffer a lower-body injury that resulted in him being carted to the locker room moments later. LaPorta was able to eject under his own power at first, so there’s a chance he was simply using the cart to get to the locker room as quickly as possible for a tryout, as there were only 29 seconds left in the half.
LaPorta was seen warming up before the second half and remained in the game despite spending a series on the sidelines.
The Lions were also briefly without defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike and offensive tackle Dan Skipper due to injuries, but both players returned on the next drive.
Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold also sat out a drive after suffering a knee injury on a 21-yard run in the first quarter while attempting to tackle Murray. For the Lions, Kindle Vildor temporarily took over outside cornerback duties while Arnold was evaluated by the training staff.
@nolanbianchi
