The Detroit Lions have had an injury-plagued start to the season, and unfortunately, that continued in another way on Sunday, October 9.
Cornerback Saivion Smith was inserted into the Week 5 starting lineup to try and provide a boost on defense. Sadly, it took just a few plays for Smith to fall victim to injury himself, and this ailment was scary looking.
Smith appeared to bump into New England tight end Hunter Henry. After the collision, Smith went down and didn’t get up. Dov Kleiman showed a close-up of the play in question:
Here’s what happened to Smith earlier.
Eventually, the ambulance had to come out for Smith, who was put on a backboard and loaded in. Members of his family joined him on the ride, and the game was delayed for a few minutes as the situation played out.
At this point, folks simply have to hope Smith is alright and can get back to health. It’s never a good sight to see a player go down and need an ambulance to carry them off, and arguably, this is the scariest Lions injury to play out since linebacker Reggie Brown went down in 1997.
Lions Provide Initial Update on Smith’s Injury
Naturally, everyone’s concern turned to what was really happening with Smith. There was plenty of speculation about what the injury could be on the internet, but few things actually known.
After Smith was rolled off, an update was provided by the Lions. Smith was taken to the hospital for observation and being evaluated for a neck injury. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com provided the update.
Saivion Smith is being taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a neck injury.
“Saivion Smith is being taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a neck injury,” Twentyman tweeted.
As reported on the Fox broadcast, there was some confusion on the Detroit sideline as to how the injury played out. Nevertheless, the team had enough information in real-time to know it is a neck injury that Smith is currently struggling with.
Smith’s Stats & Highlights
Smith came into the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama, and started his career in Jacksonville where he was an offseason member of the team.
He managed to stick with Dallas in 2020, seeing a spot on the roster. After that, Smith landed with Seattle and Denver, and was most recently with San Francisco having just been promoted to the active roster on December 11 of 2021.
Though Smith has seen time on a roster, he only has 3 total tackles in the league to his credit, meaning he is looking to make a much bigger impression this time around. In addition to his NFL experience, Smith has played in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks.
Here’s a look at some highlights from college:
Smith had a decent career with the Crimson Tide, putting up 60 total tackles and 3 interceptions in 2018. The hope was he could provide some of that toughness for the Lions, but at this point, the focus needs to be on him being healthy and overcoming this injury.
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Lions Defender Exits Game in Ambulance After Scary-Looking Injury