Alex Anzalone has a bulging scar running down the inside of his left forearm. Beneath it is a steel plate to support the bone he broke six weeks ago. He wore a carbon fiber cast to shield it from further harm Sunday night, then dove back into the fray. Asked how his arm was feeling as he left the podium following the Lions' massive win over the Vikings, Anzalone turned back and smiled, "It's sore."
The Lions sorely missed him. Anzalone's return sparked the most satisfying performance of the season for Detroit's injury-riddled defense, which put the clamps on Sam Darnold and the Vikings. He wasn't even sure on Saturday if it was wise to play -- "it wasn’t necessarily a clear-cut thing" -- considering the risk of a re-fracture that could knock him out for the playoffs. Then he ran back on the field after a couple practices last week and hardly missed a beat.
"He’s our quarterback on defense," said Dan Campbell. "There’s a lot of confidence he brings, a lot of energy. He can calm the storms. I thought it was going to take him a minute to work himself back in, and it didn’t take long at all. He was back to what he was before he got injured I thought, so he’ll get a game ball. It was outstanding."
Anzalone accepted that game ball in a jubilant locker room, surrounded by the teammates who had elected him a captain for the fourth year in a row. On defense, they weren't the same without him. They struggled to cover tight ends and running backs and their linebackers were frequently lured out of position. Anzalone saw a defense beating itself with simple mistakes, like biting too hard on play fakes or colliding in coverage.
"The last few weeks," he said, "we haven’t played clean collectively."
Knowing what was at stake Sunday night -- the division, the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye -- and how much he could help, Anzalone decided that it was the worth the risk to return: "From my perspective, I felt like this was a legacy game and a game that I could have a big impact in. There were a lot of implications on the line."
"Shoutout to Anzo!" said Kerby Joseph. "Our defensive captain, man. That shows a lot. He played a phenomenal game."
Anzalone didn't just return. He played all but one defensive snap, because "if I’m good to go, I’m good to go," he said. He led the team with seven tackles and took tight end T.J. Hockenson out of the game with his typically tight coverage. Hockenson finished with two catches on eight targets for nine yards.
"It’s a challenge," said Anzalone. "I was singled up on him a lot with no help, and that’s kind of what I do. That’s one of my attributes."
The Lions' other four-year co-captain is Jared Goff, who arrived with Anzalone in 2021. Imported by Campbell and Brad Holmes to stabilize a rebuilding team, they have bonded as leaders on their respective sides of the ball. This is their reward, starring on a Super Bowl contender.
"He’s a stud, he’s an absolute stud," said Goff. "He’s just been chomping at the bit to get back and this was the perfect game for him to come back, to cover T.J., who we know is a hell of a player. Having him back out there is huge.”
Campbell and Aaron Glenn brought Anzalone with them from New Orleans to Detroit with the promise of a major role, and the lure of an untold story. The chance to deliver a winner to a starving fanbase stirred something within all of them. They could feel it like the fireworks that shook the rafters of Ford Field Sunday night, as the Lions celebrated their second straight division title.
"It’s an opportunity to leave your legacy," said Anzalone, "just because of where this organization has been."
The Lions are staring straight ahead, with their biggest goal in front of them. But when Anzalone glances back, "to be where we're at today, from 2021 to now, it's amazing," he said.
His legacy game was complete. His legacy keeps growing.