Lions postgame injury report after Thanksgiving loss to Packers

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and didn't vomit up all their turkey after getting swept by the Packers ... like I almost did. At least the health news is relatively good coming out of the game. There is no Dan Campbell press conference today, so there won't be any updates from him until later in the week.

The beleaguered offensive line actually seemed to put together a pretty solid second half in terms of pass protection. However, there is an injury concern going forward with Tate Ratledge.

The other big concern coming out of the game is Amon-Ra St. Brown's ankle, but the early news there is good.

The defense had a healthy day and should continue to get healthier as players like Marcus Davenport, Alim McNeill, and Terrion Arnold gain strength in their recoveries. Kerby Joseph might also be back soon. A possible reinforcement in Josh Paschal was lost for the season though when the Lions let his 21-day practice window expire without activation. Scroll down for my thoughts about the curious Paschal situation.

Here are the injuries I saw during the game along with suspected diagnoses:

Amon-Ra St. Brown (1q 6:19) - Right low ankle sprain

St. Brown was rolled up on which usually causes eversion and risks a high ankle sprain. However, in this case, he was unusually rolled up on from the inside which would cause an inversion, and thus more likely a low ankle sprain. Typically, low ankle sprains have a better prognosis than high ankle sprains.

He did not return to the game, but the postgame reports have been reassuring. Imaging is presumed to have ruled out a fracture.

Tom Pelissero today confirmed a low ankle sprain with a week-to-week prognosis.

Returning for the Cowboys game next Thursday is a possibility depending on severity of the injury.

Tate Ratledge (3q 13:13) - Possible neck stinger

This is not the first time Ratledge has had symptoms which are concerning for a stinger. There are at least 3 incidents this season (Week 7, 9, and 13) seen on video.

You may have noticed Ratledge wearing a neck collar on Thanksgiving. I looked back at game tape and found that he started wearing it in Week 10 (Nov 9) vs the Commanders.

Despite the repeated incidents, Ratledge has not shown up on the injury reports with any kind of neck/shoulder issue - another example of these warriors playing through all sorts of things that aren't publicly disclosed.

Even though he played 100% of snaps vs the Packers, repeated stingers can cause a player to have to sit out for a while. AJ Dillon missed all of 2024 due to repeated stingers.

There is also a chance of a cervical spine issue, but Ratledge has certainly had imaging to evaluate for this. We'll see if Ratledge shows up on the injury report this week.

Thomas Harper (3q 5:47) - Abdomen strain

Harper's twisting motion on this tackle may have caused a simple strain of his front torso or abdomen. He returned to the game and should be fine.

Josh Paschal out for the season with back injury

Josh Paschal had offseason back surgery and has not played all year. He is definitively out for the season after he was not activated following the expiration of his 21-day practice window this Wednesday.

The whole situation here is curious starting with him being placed on NFI instead of PUP. NFI (non-football injury) means the injury was not due to football, approved rehab, approved treatments, or approved workouts. By placing him on NFI, the team did not have to pay his salary which could have been a factor in declining to activate him.

The other curiosity is Paschal had his 21-day window opened on November 5 and seemed to be on track to return to play. He had a full practice listed on this Monday's walkthrough, but then dropped mysteriously to no practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. It seems unlikely he would have hurt himself that severely on a walkthrough, so something undisclosed may be going on behind the scenes.

Some readers have expressed concern that this is cancer related. Paschal beat melanoma in 2018 and there have been no reports of a recurrence. The Lions even released an excellent video earlier this month documenting his inspiring story. It seems that we would have heard something over the past few months if this was indeed cancer-related.

Regardless of what's going on, hopefully Paschal is healthy now and going forward. Even if he is healthy, it seems very unlikely he will be in a Lions uniform again given the curious circumstances. His rookie deal expires this season.

TIDBITS

• Terrion Arnold, in his first game back from concussion, did not get the start and only played 18 snaps (29%). While it's certainly possible the Lions are playing it safe coming off a concussion and the shoulder injury, a shake-up at the CB position is on the table. We'll see how it plays out the rest of the season.

• DJ Reed had a dramatic increase in snaps in his second game back from a left hamstring. He played 87% of snaps, with only Amik Robertson playing more (95%) at the CB position. That's good news going forward.

• Marcus Davenport, in his first game back from his right pec/shoulder injury, started out the game strong in the first series but may have fatigued as the game went on. He played just 24 snaps (38%). Expect this number to ramp up.

• Three players who were on IR watch prior the Packers game all avoided IR: Graham Glasgow (knee), Brock Wright (neck), Kalif Raymond (ankle).

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions postgame injury report after Thanksgiving loss to Packers