In the Week 17 game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers, right tackle Penei Sewell was seen walking to the locker room early, indicating he was injured. Following the Lions’ 40-34 victory over the 49ers on Monday night, head coach Dan Campbell informed the media that Sewell is struggling with a thumb issue.
Fortunately, it does not appear to be serious, as Campbell did not look concerned about Sewell’s situation when asked about it after the game. “Should be good,” Campbell remarked about Sewell.
The Lions had the choice of resting their starters for the game against the Niners, as there was nothing to play for after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, setting up a winner-take-all game in Week 18. Had Sewell been gravely injured, Campbell would never have heard the ( of it. He went on to explain why he elected to play his starters in such a meaningless contest.
“Campbell said he thought about benching his starters after the Vikings’ win,” Colton Pouncy of The Athletic said. “Said it wouldn’t have been fair to expect reserves who weren’t ready to play to play after the starters practiced all week. And because you can’t bench everyone, some starters would still have played.
The fact that Sewell was able to finish the game implies that he will be alright, but his status will be monitored throughout the week anyway. But one thing we know about Sewell is that even if the injury worsens, it will be extremely difficult to prohibit him from suiting up.
The Lions will now have a few days to rest before facing the Vikings for the NFC North championship and top seed in the conference on Sunday, Jan. 5. Kickoff is set at 8:20 p.m. ET.
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