Thanksgiving turned sour for the Detroit Lions, as a crucial loss to the Green Bay Packers was compounded by a potentially season-altering injury to their offensive centerpiece, Amon-Ra St. Brown. NFL injury expert Jesse Morse, M.D.’s post confirmed that it is an injury, though he refrained from clarifying the severity of the same.

“Right knee + left ankle after being rolled up from behind. Most likely he suffered a left high-ankle sprain, hopefully mild, as well as a lateral knee sprain,” wrote Jesse Morse. “You can see the outside of his knee take the force, this usually injures the LCL & posterolateral complex (PLC).”

The incident occurred on the opening play of the Lions’ second drive with Green Bay leading 3-0. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs gained seven yards on the play with St. Brown looking to make a block on Xavier McKinney. As St. Brown was blocking, his teammates, Kayode Awosika and Trystan Colon, rolled up on his right leg from behind.

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This saw St. Brown’s leg bend at an awkward angle, leading him to limp off the field and down the tunnel.

The injury is worse than a typical sprain because it affects the stability of his entire lower leg, making it very painful and likely to take much longer to heal.

St. Brown is a crucial player for the Lions, having already recorded 884 yards, 75 catches, and nine touchdowns this season. His absence for a large part of Thursday’s Thanksgiving game showed in the Lions’ defeat that pushed them third in the NFC North. 

Now, with the Lions’ postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the timeline for St. Brown’s return becomes the most critical question in Detroit.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is optimistic about Amon-Ra St. Brown

Head coach Dan Campbell provided reporters with an update on St. Brown immediately after the 31-24 defeat that left the Lions 7-5 for the season.

“I’ll know more tomorrow. Doesn’t look long, long-term, but could miss a week or two if we’re lucky,” said Campbell.

This could mean that St. Brown would sit out the Cowboys game next week and the Lions’ road game at the Rams.

Both games are against teams looking to have strong finishes to their respective seasons: the Cowboys for a wildcard spot and the Rams for the NFC top seed.

The Lions will require Jameson Williams to step up in the absence of both St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta, as they seek a third straight trip to the postseason.

Williams performed admirably against the Packers, making seven receptions for 144 yards. This included a 22-yard touchdown with under 30 seconds left in the first half to make it 17-13.

Can he do it again? Or will St. Brown return sooner?