The worst fears for the Detroit Lions came true on Wednesday morning as the team announced that veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has been placed on injured reserve due to an elbow injury suffered in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
Ngata was enjoying a fairly effective season so far, tallying seven tackles and 2.0 sacks through four and a half games. He was also the veteran leader on a young group of defensive lineman.
Though Ngata’s season isn’t necessarily over—the Lions could bring him back from IR to start practicing in six weeks and return to the roster in eight weeks—it looks like this could very well be the end for him as a Lion.