The Detroit Lions have done well to avoid serious injury in the 2021 preseason, and while they had an injury play out to quarterback Tim Boyle, there is good news on that front.
Boyle sustained a hand injury against the Indianapolis Colts, and it was revealed he would undergo thumb surgery earlier in the week. Now that the surgery is finished, Boyle’s recovery timetable is better than first expected. While many thought he would be shelved for the season with the injury, that will simply not be the case.
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Tuesday, August 31, NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo reported that Boyle was expected to miss 6-8 weeks recovering from the surgery. That’s much better than the potential season diagnosis that was expected early on.
#Lions QB Tim Boyle expected to miss about 6-8 weeks following thumb surgery, sources say. Pretty much the best case scenario going in because there was a chance he’d be ruled out for the season.
The Lions have Jared Goff in the mix as their starter, and for the time being, David Blough will be the team’s backup. How and when Boyle will enter that mix is anybody’s guess, but there will be a month or more to sort that out while Boyle heals up completely.
David Blough Likely to Start as Lions’ Backup Quarterback
For the short term, Blough is likely to start as Detroit’s backup and allow Boyle time to heal. Having a pair of solid quarterbacks is a good problem to have. For the first two weeks, Blough outplayed Boyle, who didn’t look like was in-synch with his wideouts most of the preseason struggled to the tune of 7-15 passing for only 44 yards in Pittsburgh. Blough, on the other hand, looked in control and managed to do things both with his arm and his legs. He would finish 12-17 for 143 yards and a touchdown, while also running for a solid 26 yards on the ground to extend many plays in that game. It was a similar back and forth battle much of the preseason.
Boyle rebounded nicely against the Indianapolis Colts prior and during injury, throwing for 59 yards and 1 touchdown on the day before giving way to Blough. The battle may have ended in both making the roster even without injury, and at this point, it is likely to see each combatant in Detroit behind Goff in 2021.
Tim Boyle’s Stats and Highlights
Since joining the Packers, Boyle has received a cult following with fans thanks to the way he performs in the offseason, training camp and preseason. Boyle hasn’t registered and NFL touchdown or interception, and has just 15 passing yards to his credit. In spite of that, Boyle has put up some decent stats in college, throwing for 3,371 yards, 12 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. He played at the University of Connecticut before transferring to Eastern Kentucky. Boyle has played for the last three seasons in Green Bay in mostly mop up duty.
Here’s some highlights of Boyle while playing for the Packers in the preseason:
Obviously, there’s talent in the arm, so it will be interesting to see what the Lions manage to do with Boyle when healthy. Good news for the team is they could find that out sooner rather than later.
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Lions Get Positive Injury News on Quarterback Tim Boyle: Report