The Detroit Lions’ defense continues to be decimated by injuries this season, and it only got worse on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold suffered an injury early in the third quarter as he tried to stop an Aaron Jones rushing attempt near midfield. The 2024 first-round pick had to be carted into the locker room at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
The injury occurred just two plays after Arnold made a terrific end-zone stop to prevent the Vikings from scoring on 4th-and-goal.
The @Lions defense stops 'em at the goal line AGAIN.
📺: #MINvsDET on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/DPMikfZcI8— NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2025
The Lions entered Sunday’s contest with injuries to cornerbacks Carlton Davis, Ennis Raekstraw, Emmanuel Mosley, and Khalil Dorsey. Arnold came into Week 18 with 58 combined tackles, ranked fourth-most on the Lions. He had two tackles and one pass broken up before leaving the game.
If the Lions lose Arnold to start the postseason, it could force them to lean more heavily on Kindle Vildor. Fans may remember Vildor as the cornerback who had a near-interception bounce off his helmet and into the hands of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk during last year’s NFC Championship Game.
But Sunday wasn’t all bad news for Detroit when it came to injuries. The Lions got one of their most vital defenders back for the pivotal game against the Vikings.
