The Detroit Lions seem unstoppable, especially after the team notched a 11-1 record after beating the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving, with a 23-20 score. But, despite the Lions’ winning record, one area of concern is the number of injuries on the squad, especially on the defense.
Thankfully, the Lions have secured a much-needed piece of their defensive puzzle, and this could be good news for Lions fans.
Lions Acquire Defensive Help : Report
Veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander has signed with the Detroit Lions to help the team’s injured linebacking crew, per a report from NFL analyst and expert Adam Schefter of ESPN. Schefter sent out a message on X Friday breaking the news, stating, “Lions are signing former Pro-Bowl linebacker Kwon Alexander from the Broncos‘ practice squad, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.”
Alexander should bring some relief to both Lions fans and the squad, since the team has suffered a number of injuries on defense. Most recently, Detroit lost Malcolm Rodriguez to a torn ACL during their Bears game.
Rodriguez was playing for inside linebacker Alex Anzalone, who is on injured reserve with a broken arm. Anzalone isn’t expected to be back in the fold for a month or more. Detroit linebackers Derrick Barnes and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are also injured and out.
Alexander actually has a little history with Lions coach Dan Campbell. The inside linebacker played with the New Orleans Saints in 2020 when Campbell served as an assistant coach for the team. He’s also played for Tampa Bay, the New York Jets, San Francisco and Pittsburgh, in addition to Denver and New Orleans, so he has a lot of experience
Talking Tough: Lions HC Dan Campbell Delivers Winning Comments
Campbell’s postgame locker room talks are legendary, especially after a win. Thanksgiving was no exception, and Campbell delivered a rousing speech to his team.
“If you’re not careful with where we’re at, you start grading the wins,” Campbell said. “You know, and we need to do that to an extent, because that’s how you continue to get better. We got our standards. But you also got step back for a minute and say ‘man it’s not easy to win in this league.’ And man, every week is different, and the most important thing is to find a way to win the game.”
Campbell added, “And if you’re not built the way we are, you don’t win that game. So we came out, and we were hummin’ pretty good.” He added that it “wasn’t perfect. We gave them life, then they started coming back. And it took a lot.” He also gave the banged up defense props, saying, “How about our defense, man? How about our defense.”