A member of the chain gang suffered a brutal injury during the Saints' loss to the Lions and was recovering at a local hospital Sunday evening.
The sideline official, identified as Nick Piazza, suffered a dislocated knee. He is not expected to require surgery, news first reported by Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. Piazza is in stable condition and his status will be updated tomorrow.
The injury occurred midway through the second quarter as Saints RB Alvin Kamara was forced out of bounds as he attempted to reach for a first down. He appeared to roll into the official's leg, which could be seen on the broadcast for a moment clearly bent in an unnatural direction.
The game was delayed for several minutes as medical personnel, including Saints team doctor John Amoss, attended to Piazza. He was ultimately strapped to a backboard with his leg in an air cast and carted off the field.
The chain gang operated with one fewer member the rest of the way, but there were no disruptions. The Saints went on to lose the game 33-28.