Per Ian Rapoport, Alex Anzalone will play against the Vikings in Week 18.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Detroit Lions linebacker and captain, Alex Anzalone, WILL PLAY in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings.
After breaking his forearm six weeks ago, Anzalone was able to get back on the practice field this week and was activated to the 53-man roster on Saturday. Despite the positive vibes, Anzalone expressed to the media that he wasn’t 100% sure he would return this week, as he and team doctors were still debating the risk involved—something coach Dan Campbell also echoed in his end-of-week press conference.
Fortunately for the Lions, Anzalone feels confident enough to return to game action this week, and the team plans on closely monitoring him throughout the game, as well as, taking some precautionary measures to ensure his safety.
“Alex Anzalone is coming back tonight,” Rapoport reported. “One of the playmaking linebackers on the Lions. Really, one of the leaders of their defense. He is a madman on the field, you watch him play and this guy does it all. And now he is going to play just a couple weeks after fracturing his forearm. He was officially activated yesterday (and) will play tonight. My understanding is that they’re going to monitor his snaps and he’s going to wear a special pad on his forearm to protect him—but he is in!”
Anzalone hasn’t spoken to the media since Thursday, when he expressed some concerns, but he has posted several messages on social media that suggest this report is accurate, and his most recent reel on Instagram shows the fallout from his injury:
From the Instagram account of #Lions LB Alex Anzalone.
“Everyone wants to be a dog until you have to do some dog sh**.” pic.twitter.com/yTqzfZMc56
— Kory Woods (@KoryEWoods) January 5, 2025
We at Pride of Detroit will report updates from Ford Field during warmups, and keep an eye out for the Lions inactives report, which will be released around 6:50 p.m. ET.
