Report: Golden Tate likely to miss ‘a few weeks’ with shoulder injury

One of the more significant injuries the Detroit Lions suffered during their Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints was when Golden Tate left the game with a shoulder injury. Tate took a big shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Saints linebacker Craig Robertson on a short 7-yard gain in the third quarter.

Tate did not return and was not made available in the locker room after the game, suggesting his injury was significant.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the injury to his right shoulder appears serious enough that Tate is expected to miss a few weeks:

UPDATE: Rapoport offered a little more detail on Tate’s injury later on Monday:

Considering the source and the fact that MRI results are not fully available yet, it’s probably worth taking this report with a grain of salt. Rapoport has been known to jump the gun on injury reports before (see: here and here).

That being said, combining this report along with the fact that the Lions made Tate unavailable after the game cannot be a good sign for his short-term health. Let’s hope the Lions get some good news with that MRI.

In the meantime, a lot of Lions fans have suggested taking a shot at Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant, who reportedly asked for a trade from Pittsburgh. However, after Sunday’s win, Bryant seems content where he’s at:

The Lions have two weeks to prepare for their next game against the Steelers. We’ll see if Detroit makes any moves to deal with Tate’s injury.