Lions' Jack Campbell neck injury update: 'it's positive'

Early in the 4th quarter Sunday, Jack Campbell went in to tackle T.J. Hockenson and didn't get up. Play stopped for several minutes while trainers worked on him and players from both teams took a knee.

Campbell was strapped to a backboard and carted off. Detroit's defense went right back out and got a stop anyway. Aidan Hutchinson got pressure on 4th down to force a turnover on downs, and the first thing he did was point at the tunnel his teammate had just gone through.

Colton Pouncy

@colton_pouncy

Aidan Hutchinson with a fourth-down pressure to force a turnover on downs. Immediately points to the tunnel Jack Campbell was just carted off to.

Campbell was face down and not moving after the hit on Hockenson, which was his 3rd tackle of the day. That's a hard thing to watch from anybody, and harder when it's the guy who was an All-Pro last season and has been the heartbeat of this defense since Detroit took him 18th overall in 2023. About 20 minutes after the cart left, the Lions announced he was going to a hospital.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

The #Lions say star LB Jack Campbell is being transported to a local hospital to be evaluated for a neck injury.

Detroit held on to win 19-15, and nobody seemed to care. The team said Campbell was alert and breathing when he left for the hospital. That was the one hopeful detail anyone had Sunday night, and Dan Campbell said after the game that he didn't have any new information.

You could see it on the podium. The head coach and Jared Goff both looked like guys who'd just watched a teammate leave on a backboard, and that's the whole story of their press conferences. Later that night the Lions confirmed he would stay in the hospital overnight.

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

You can see how affected the @Lions all are by the Jack Campbell situation here, in how Dan Campbell and Jared Goff address it.

The first real good news came Monday afternoon. The Lions put out a statement saying Campbell continues to rest and recover, that preliminary indications are positive, and that they won't share anything more out of respect for him and his family. Then the coach stepped up and said it a lot more bluntly.

Mike Garafolo

@MikeGarafolo

#Lions HC Dan Campbell says “it’s positive” on LB Jack Campbell and “your prayers are working.” Asks for continued prayers.

Dan Campbell also said he met with Jack's family Sunday night and that everybody is in good spirits. That's as much as we're getting for now, and honestly it's what matters. There's no word yet on a diagnosis or a timeline, and football can wait. Watch for the next update from the team this week. Until then, keep doing what the coach asked.