Keeping Tabs on the NFC North: Detroit Lions Injury Update

Football is a game where big, scary men do big scary things, and sometimes people get hurt. It's important to know what's going on around the division, as well as just what the Bears are doing.

Matt Stafford appears to be fine after injuring his finger against the Raiders last night. He received the left hand injury after he hit it on a helmet in this play, which also seems to feature his right arm slamming into a helmet, but what do I know. (.gif after the jump)

Stafford has an injury concern, but he indicated that this was the sort of thing he would have played through in a regular season game, so I'm certain it was more precautionary than anything.

Kevin Smith also left the game after injuring his right ankle. X-rays were negative, and it appears that it isn't a high-ankle sprain. Yet this is the ankle he hurt last year, so the Lions and their fans are obviously cautious about his return.

Additionally, while not injuries, necessarily, something to keep an eye on an would be the wrap of the midsection of Mikel LeShoure and the ice on the knee of Ndamukong Suh. While there are no indications of it being anything other than the general maintenance you do on body parts worth thousands, knee problems to defensive lineman are problems that can flare up quickly and badly. (Here's looking at you, Tommie Harris)

Stay tuned as later this week, we'll pop in on the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings and see how they're doing heading into the final game of the preseason.