The air came out of a spirited scrimmage Wednesday in Allen Park when Lions star right tackle Penei Sewell limped off the field and did not return.
Sewell spent several seconds on the ground after suffering an injury in pass protection, before slowly making his way to the sidelines under his own power. He received treatment on his left foot on the bench, then eventually limped to the locker room.
He is being evaluated for a foot injury, per the Lions.
The energy wanted on both sides of the ball after Sewell's departure, which came on the first drive of the second half.
"When Penei went down, I was like, ‘Ahh, not Penei,'" said defensive back Brian Branch. "Shoot, that’s our No. 1 offensive lineman right there. Hopefully it wasn’t nothing major or anything, I don’t think it was. So just, prayers up."
With Colby Sorsdal replacing Sewell and rookie Eguakun Kingsley playing in Kevin Zeitler's spot as the veteran guard gets a week of recuperation, the right side of the Lions' offensive line caved in repeatedly against the first-team defense. Aidan Hutchinson was a particular force.
Running back Craig Reynolds also left Wednesday's scrimmage and is being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
It was a dominant day for the starting defense, which had two interceptions of Jared Goff, including a pick six by Carlton Davis III, and constant pressure in his face.