The atmosphere in the Detroit Lions’ locker room was a mix of emotions as players cleaned out their lockers at the practice facility on Sunday.
Some were optimistic, already planning their offseason work with an eye toward next season’s improvement. Others, however, seemed still affected by the shocking divisional-round defeat to the Washington Commanders at Ford Field on Saturday, not quite ready to speak about it.
Among the players moving in and out of the locker room was a smiling and positive Alim McNeill, who entered with the help of crutches. Unable to drive due to his injury, McNeill had taken an Uber to the practice facility for the locker cleanout and spoke to the media for the first time since tearing his ACL during the Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
McNeill acknowledged that the loss was tough for his teammates and said that no one fully understands how to process it just yet. His own emotions were similarly conflicted, though compounded by his injury.
“It’s always hard, whether it’s playoffs or a regular-season game,” McNeill shared, reflecting on his time sidelined. “Watching is always tough. You want to be out there with the guys competing, but yeah, I watched it at home just like everybody else did.”
McNeill underwent successful surgery for his torn ACL and is on the right track with his recovery, though he’s uncertain about his timeline for returning to the field. He was one of many Lions defenders — including Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Carlton Davis III, Derrick Barnes, Khalil Dorsey, and Malcolm Rodriguez — who suffered season-ending injuries this year.
“I had no clue what it was, but I knew there was something a little fishy about it, how I was feeling at the time,” McNeill recalled of the injury. “I thought maybe it was just a little loose and was going to be sore. As far as the season being cut short, it was definitely tough — 100% tough. This is the first time I’ve ever had a season-ending injury and the first time having surgery, so it was all new.
“But it is definitely tough. You kind of have to put your mindset in a different place. Now that we’re done, I’ve got to get back on the field as fast as I can. I’m not going to rush anything, but I’m going to push myself, for sure.”
Looking ahead to the offseason, McNeill’s focus is on preparing for next season, with organized team activities just around the corner.
“As far as OTAs and all that stuff coming up, individually, I’m just trying to get back on the field and get stronger every day,” McNeill said. “But as far as the team, we have the same goals next year. It’s always going to be the same goal: to win the Super Bowl.
“But we’re just going to put in that much more work to be that much more prepared. There’s no blueprint to it, and there’s no hiding from it. You have to put in the work to get there, and that’s just what we’re going to do. That’s what we do as a team anyway.”
