Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell was taken off the field on a backboard and carted away after what appeared to be a serious injury in Sunday’s Week 8 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The play happened on the first snap of the fourth quarter, when Campbell and Eric O'Neill teamed up to stop Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson. Campbell then went limp.
As he lay face down, he was seen moving his head up and down and pulling his body forward a couple of inches before trainers got to him. Roughly 10 minutes later, he was strapped to a backboard and taken off the field by cart.
The scene at Ford Field was heavy. Detroit’s entire team came over to watch their teammate leave, and the defense huddled together afterward to regroup after seeing one of its leaders go down.
Campbell has been productive this season, piling up 57 tackles, two QB hits and a fumble recovery in seven games. Six months ago, he agreed to a four-year, $81 million extension that put him among the NFL’s highest-paid off-ball linebackers.
A first-round pick at No. 18 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa, Campbell came to Detroit six picks after the Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs. The 26-year-old put together a huge 2025 season, finishing with 176 tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles and four passes defended. That run earned him First Team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl selection.
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