Lions Locker Room Buzz: Arnold's injury, reaction to Williams' extension, Decker on o-line's struggles and more
Green Bay, Wisc. — Here’s what I learned bouncing around the Detroit Lions’ locker room following the team’s 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Injury derails defender’s day
Let’s open this thing up with the lone injury from the contest, and it’s a big one, as cornerback Terrion Arnold exited the contest after the first half with a groin injury.
Arnold said he suffered the strain during Detroit's second defensive series and was playing through the nagging issue before the team pulled the plug heading into the third quarter. He’s set to undergo further testing when the team returns home, but he’s optimistic it isn’t a long-term issue.
“It's one of those things where I think it's tolerable and I can play through it,” Arnold said.
The second-year defender said he felt the injury the most during a full-speed sprint where he gave up a 48-yard post pattern in the second quarter. That came one play before he surrendered a 17-yard touchdown on a wheel route where he was picked near the line of scrimmage.
He refused to blame the injury for either completion.
“One thing about me, if I'm out there, I'm out there,” Arnold said. “I'll never sit there and say, 'I wish I could have made that play, but my groin.' Nah. If I'm out there, I'm out there, and I'm going to own it. It's one of those things where you get back to the drawing board, and I have to get in the training room.”
Arnold forced two incompletions earlier in the game, leaning heavily into his physicality on both plays. Those felt like they would have drawn flags when he was a rookie, but he said he thinks it’s a combination of officials adjusting to his play style, combined with improved technique.
“When you go look back at those plays, (it’s) me turning my head, me trusting my teammates, trusting my leverage,” Arnold said. “Now, I'm a whole different player.”