The Lions could be getting back a big piece on defense for the biggest game of the season.
Linebacker and co-captain Alex Anzalone, who's missed the last six games with a broken forearm, returned to practice for Wednesday's walkthrough and could play in Sunday night's showdown against the Vikings.
"He’ll be out there running around today, so we’ll see how he does," Campbell said Wednesday prior to practice. "It’s really going to be -- tomorrow’s going to be a really big day for us to see where he’s at.”
Anzalone is the quarterback of the Lions' defense and their best linebacker in coverage. Injuries have caught up to the team on that side of the ball, where the Lions have allowed an average of 32.5 points over the last four games -- about double what they had allowed through the first 12 games of the season. Running backs and tight ends have proven problematic in the pass game.
With the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line Sunday night, Anzalone's return would be a boon in more ways than one. Jack Campbell, who's served as the green-dot linebacker in Anzalone's absence relaying the defensive calls from Aaron Glenn to his teammates, said Wednesday, "Alex brings a lot of experience back into the room."
"He’s been in the system, knows what AG wants and he’s a great leader, a great communicator, so it will be good to have him back," said Campbell.
The Vikings come to Detroit with one of the best passing attacks in the NFL, headlined by an elite receiving duo in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and a quarterback in Sam Darnold who's having the best season of his career. Last week, Brock Purdy and the 49ers picked on the Lions' linebackers with frequent play fakes to open up holes in the middle of the field.
Asked where the defense needs to shore things up, Jack Campbell said, "Just doing the simple things easily."
"If we’re playing man to man, being on different levels. If we’re playing cover three, know that we're playing cover three, know where the weaknesses are in the defense, get out versus the pass. Just simple stuff like that, and it all starts with me, too," he said. "And just getting your eyes right, eye discipline. I feel like last week we were just getting attacked with eye discipline stuff."
All of those sound like areas where Anzalone's leadership and flat-out ability can help. Especially against Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings, who will surely present some twists Sunday night on top of their well-oiled scheme.
"It’s going to be a challenge," said Jack Campbell. "Their coach is an offensive mind, came from the Rams, and then they got playmakers on all levels -- a really good offensive line, backs are good, they can hurt you in the run game and the pass game, the quarterback's playing at a high level, the receivers obviously.
"So we’re going to have our work cut out for us. We just need to continue to improve, especially late in the season and into the playoff push. We have our hands full, but it’s going to be a great game in a great environment."
Over their first 12 games, the Lions held quarterbacks to a passer rating of 74.9. That's up to 113.2 over the last four games, as the pass rush has waned and the coverage has slipped due to the losses in personnel. Still, the Lions have continued to find ways to win games, save a collapse against Josh Allen and the Bills.
And while "they might not be the prettiest wins, in the NFL, last time I checked, no one really cares other than winning," said Jack Campbell.
He smiled and added, "People will nitpick -- I mean, it is your guys’ job, which I respect -- but when you get out of there with a win and you’re sitting here 14-2, you feel very fortunate. Not a lot of teams can say that they’ve done that. And now to have the opportunity to go against another 14-2 team is just amazing. It’s going to be fun."