These are the injuries I picked up on my initial watch. Unfortunately, there are two possible season-enders coming out of the Cowboys game.
Kyle Peko – left pec, 1q 7:55
Peko hurt his left pec during an attempted tackle. Pec tears can occur during an eccentric motion which occurred here when the runner broke away while Peko was trying to pull him in.
With how quickly Peko was ruled out, it hints there may have been a visible deformity of the pec on physical exam, which can signify a full pec tendon rupture and the likely end of his season. The best case scenario is a mild pec strain of the muscle body.
This is the third known pec strain/tear this year, along with Emmanuel Moseley and Frank Ragnow.
Kyle Peko L pec injury video
-Mechanism of injury: runner breaking away as Peko tries to pull him back in. Eccentric motion can tear pec.
-Concern for full pec rupture with how quickly he was ruled out. Can see visible evidence of rupture on exam. pic.twitter.com/IS8gn9BA1o— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) October 14, 2024
Penei Sewell – left leg, 2q 00:36
Video was obscured but he appeared to have his left leg rolled up on during David Montgomery’s TD run. It was a slow roll-up and didn’t look bad on video. He got up gingerly but didn’t miss any snaps.
Sewell was healthy enough to take a lateral to the house later in the game. Getting rolled up on can cause ankle or knee sprains but I’m not expecting anything significant here. We’ll see if he shows up on the Wednesday injury report.
Graham Glasgow – right shin cleated, 3q 13:18
Glasgow was visibly in pain after the play and was grabbing at his right shin. He didn’t miss a snap.
Close video review showed that he got cleated, leaving a mark on his shin which may have been a sock tear. Even if he has an underlying laceration, it’s no big deal and he’ll be fine.
Aidan Hutchinson – left tib/fib fracture, 3q 12:00
This is the big one. Early signs are good that he should make a full recovery in time for training camp with even an outside shot at the Super Bowl. With the Super Bowl less than 4 months away, Dan Campbell on Monday called Hutchinson’s timeline “4-6 months”.
Players will absolutely come back well before they are fully ready for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. Terrell Owens in 2005 is a good example.
The bone will be completely healed so the risk will be minimal. But Hutchinson won’t have his usual strength, burst, or stamina, and won’t play his typical 90% of snaps. His effectiveness will be questionable, but if the team is willing to open up a roster spot for him, I would expect him to play. After that one game, he will have five months to recover.
See my full Hutchinson article for more details of his injury.
Aidan Hutchinson tib/fib fracture injury video
-Leg whip mechanism
-Despite gruesome nature, early reports/prognosis are good. Not open fracture. Presume no nerve/vascular damage.
-Good chance of full recovery in 6-9mo. Should be back in plenty of time for start of 2025. pic.twitter.com/nzXJRiY3b1— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) October 14, 2024
Carlton Davis – cleat to head, 3q 10:38
Davis had his helmet crunched and ripped off, and if that wasn’t enough, he took a wicked cleat to his bare head. Fortunately, it looks like he avoided any significant injury, although he didn’t return to the game.
He was seen hanging out on the sideline in good spirits the rest of the game which means he passed the concussion evaluation and there are no serious concerns. It looks like he avoided a laceration or any eye damage. I suspect he could have returned to the game if necessary, and I’m expecting him to be fine for next game.
Carlton Davis cleat-to-head video
-Head crunched then takes wicked shot to bare head
-Did not return. Presumably passed concussion eval as he was hanging out on sideline. Prob more scared than injured.
-Fortunate no laceration or eye damage
-I expect him to be fine for next game pic.twitter.com/nVNVSVWUvJ— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) October 14, 2024
OTHER NOTES
Frank Ragnow strained his left pec three weeks ago. He showed no signs of aggravating the injury in his first game back.
Kerby Joseph had a mild hamstring issue during the practice week but was able to play the whole game without obvious aggravation. Good news going forward.
