The return of a key defensive element is now just one step away for the Detroit Lions.
On Wednesday, the club resumed its 21-day practice window with defensive lineman Alim McNeill back on the field. He missed the previous four games while on Reserve/Injured after fracturing his knee in a victory against New Orleans on December 3. On Wednesday, he participated in practice for the first time.
“Being back out there felt really good,” McNeill remarked following practice. “I feel like I have my energy back. I’m feeling better now. It’s excellent.
Despite never missing a game in his football career due to injury, McNeill feels rejuvenated going into Week 18 and the playoffs. He attributes this to the time off. During practice, he was sporting a personalized knee brace, which he admitted needed some getting used to but ultimately worked well.
McNeill’s presence in the middle is a major factor in Detroit’s defense allowing the third fewest 10-plus yard runs, the third lowest average per rush, and the fifth fewest rushing yards this season. Additionally, he enjoyed a breakthrough year as an inside pass rusher.
According to Pro Football Focus, McNeill is the fifth-best interior defensive lineman in the whole game. His five sacks this season are a career best, although he is only second on the team in sacks (9.5), behind Aidan Hutchinson. Along with those stats, he has nine quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one pass defensed, and 31 tackles (16 solo).
It will indeed be good. “Having him back will be beneficial,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell remarked on Wednesday. “And I’m sure he’s as enthusiastic about it as we are, so he’ll be getting some work here for us again. It’s always going to feel to him like Game 1 again around this time of year. It’s excellent because he’ll be fresh and have new legs and energy.”
In an effort to become a quicker and more explosive interior defender, McNeill shed pounds of body fat this past season, and he has performed admirably in that role thus far. His absence from the Lions over the past month has been felt.
In order to prepare for their first playoff game at Ford Field in the Wild Card round next week, it will be crucial to have him back in the middle of the defense. However, in order to help him get off the rust, he needs to play this week against the Vikings.
“Just so I don’t go into (the playoffs) cold,” he replied. “I also much like to do it this way. I would prefer not to jump straight into a postseason match. They’ve been performing for weeks on end, they’re warm, and I don’t want to just dive right in. I’ll be taking some photos during this Sunday’s game.
