Promising Lions Rookie Suffers Injury During Touchdown Run

Jermar Jefferson

Getty Jermar Jefferson reacts during a 2021 game with the Lions vs. Pittsburgh.

The Detroit Lions were coming out of the bye decently healthy except for at the spot of running back, which led a surprise contributor to be activated in Jermar Jefferson for this week.

Jefferson was filling in for the injured Jamaal Williams, and was coming off the first touchdown of his career in Week 8. The runner got some time early in Week 10 and looked to be feeling just as good, piling up 41 yards on 3 carries for 1 touchdown. On the scoring play, though, Jefferson got hurt and was quickly on the injury report.

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Jefferson landed awkwardly on his ankle during the run, which tied the game 7-7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a result, he was quickly labeled questionable by Detroit for the rest of the game with an ankle injury.

On the telecast, Jefferson was spotted hobbling off the field and limping to a cart. At times, he needed assistance, so it will be interesting to see if he can return to a game he was starting to dominate before injury.

Lions fans will be upset to see a top rookie who is showing promise lost. It’s frustrating to see players who show up in a solid way continue to get hurt when they play well.


Jefferson’s Touchdown vs. Steelers

How did Jefferson get hurt? It was on a nice touchdown run where the running back split up the middle of the hole and took the ball to the house. The play was a great one for a Detroit offense which had been set up in a big way by some stout defense and a nice punt return by Kalif Raymond.

Here’s a look at the play:

So far, Jefferson has shown some nice burst and speed at different times on the field. That’s been a big plus for him with the Lions, and a reason the team would hate to lose him for any length of time, especially with Jefferson missing in action this week.


Jefferson’s Stats & Highlights

Jefferson had some impressive stats running for Oregon State coming into the NFL, putting up 2,923 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career. He also has 299 receiving yards and 2 scores through the air. Those numbers are pretty decent for Jefferson, who could be a productive and solid player given what he did.

Here’s a look at his highlights:

Obviously, Jefferson has plenty of talent to rely on. Whether or not he gets a chance to continue to showcase it to the Lions remains to be seen, but he has shown a fast nose for the end zone. For a team with scoring problems like Detroit, that could be big in the second half of the season.

The Lions will have to hope that Jefferson can shake off this injury quickly and come back healthy. So far, he’s looked like a revelation when he has the ball in his hands

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