Locker Room Buzz: Williams arrives, Muhammad shines, Johnson's betrayal, Goff's celebration evaluation and more
Detroit — Here’s what I learned bouncing around the Detroit Lions’ locker room following the team’s 52-21 win over the Chicago Bears.
Injury updates
Let’s start with the injuries. There’s some good news on that front, and more that remains unknown following the contest.
Let’s start with the positive: Brian Branch is OK. The Lions safety collided with linebacker Jack Campbell while chasing down running back Kyle Monangai. Branch was lifted off the ground and hit the turf hard on the way down. Slow to get up, he was tended to by trainers for a couple of minutes before hobbling off the field.
Turns out it was just a nasty cramp.
He wasn’t the only Detroit defensive back who was dehydrated by the afternoon. Cornerback DJ Reed was cramping bad at his locker, sending a member of the training staff to find him some pickle juice.
As for Campbell, he clutched at his injured right ankle after the collision with Branch. The third-year linebacker stayed in the game, just like he did after initially suffering the injury against the Packers in Week 1.
Walking gingerly through the locker room after the game, Campbell was dismissive about the discomfort he was in, staying true to his play-through-it mentality even after the final whistle.
The only Lions player who left the game and was officially ruled out was tight end Shane Zylstra. He was in a walking boot after the game.
Meanwhile, defensive end Marcus Davenport exited twice with different issues but returned both times. Davenport suffered an ankle injury in the first half, requiring a trip to the locker room to stabilize the joint. He returned after the break and recorded a sack, only to suffer a shoulder injury on that play.
Davenport returned again, but it remained unclear after the game if there was a long-term concern with the shoulder. He had a massive ice pack on the injury and presumably underwent base-level imaging after the contest.
Coach Dan Campbell said the team would know tomorrow. Davenport said it was important to finish the game because he wasn’t playing for himself. He also had no sense of the extent of the damage.
“I wouldn't really like to say anything about that because I don't know,” Davenport said. “Right now, I'm OK.”
Next man up
Whether it was because Davenport was hurt or it was part of the original game plan, Al-Quadian Muhammad had a larger role in the second half, and he was disruptive with those opportunities. He finished with four tackles and his first sack of the season.