Linebacker Alex Anzalone, the team’s captain, will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks after breaking his forearm in the first half of Detroit’s 52-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, coach Dan Campbell announced.
Anzalone’s left forearm became tangled in a play when teammate Brian Branch pushed Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. out of bounds late in the second quarter.
Anzalone was officially ruled out early in the second half, but the defense didn’t give up a point in the third and fourth quarters as the offense produced a franchise-best 645 yards of total offense.
“Thank you all for the well wishes! As an athlete, you often think, ‘Why did this have to happen?’ But I like to think of all the countless repetitions, something bad didn’t happen. I’m beyond blessed.! I’ll be right back, with fresh legs and everything,” Anzalone wrote to X after the game.
Meanwhile, the Lions handed the Jaguars their biggest loss in franchise history.
“The reality is that they are a team that has fewer wins than us and we could have downplayed our competition in some way and, not to disrespect them, they are a great team, but, “We wanted to play to our standard: no-name opponent and faceless,” said Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who became the first quarterback in NFL history to have multiple games with a perfect passer rating (158.3) and 400 passing yards. “It’s not just them, it’s every week.
“I think we wanted to come out and stay on the gas the whole game, no matter what happened. If it had been a closer game, we still would have stayed on the gas.”
Anzalone joins Pro Bowl running back Aidan Hutchinson (tibia and fibula), linebacker Derrick Barnes (knee), special team’s linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck), defensive linemen Marcus Davenport (triceps) and John Cominsky (MCL tear) as a key. members of the defense who have been sidelined due to injury.
The Lions have now scored more than 50 points in multiple games in a season for the first time in franchise history and, at 9-1, are off to their best start since 1934.
During Sunday’s victory, the Lions also set franchise records for margin of victory (46 points), total first downs (38) and touchdown scores on seven consecutive offensive drives.
Over the past 45 seasons, the only team to score a touchdown on more consecutive drives within a game than Detroit versus Jacksonville was the 1980 Chicago Bears, who scored a touchdown on eight consecutive drives on December 7, 1980, against Green Bay. Packers in a 61-7 victory.
It’s the latest example of why Campbell says this season’s Lions’ offense is, at best, as good as some of the best offenses in NFL history, such as “The Greatest Show on Turf” of the St. Louis Rams from 1999 to 2001. .
“I think we have that ability. I really do. I think we have that ability,” Campbell said. “For me, we have everything we need to be powerful and, like I say, I feel like we are complete.”
Goff was the driver of the offense as he finished 24 of 29 for 412 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions for a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a bounce-back game.
He also says this team has the ability to become one of the best offenses in league history after setting multiple records. Goff said it was something the team discussed over the summer.
“Yes, we have that ability, certainly. We have to do it for another… I don’t know how many games are left in the year now… eight, nine, regular season. Yes, we have that ability.” There’s still work to do, but we certainly have that ability,” Goff said. “I think that’s been something we talked about in the offseason: the history and how great we can be.”