Discussion: What was the most devastating injury in Detroit Lions history?

Aaron Rodgers broke the hearts of the tri-state area Monday night when he ruptured his Achilles trying to escape a sack by Bills defender Leonard Floyd. You could see the soul instantly sucked out of MetLife stadium, as if the rug was pulled out from underneath the entire crowd.

It was by far and away the most deflating injury I’ve seen to a franchise in memory. Which brought me to the question, what has been the most devastating injury for the Lions?

What was the most devastating Detroit Lions injury in your fandom?

My answer: it’s gotta be Jahvid Best.

Best didn’t have a singular inflection point like Rodgers had Monday night, but his retirement following three concussions in his brief tenure as a Lion took the air out of an enthusiastic rise from the ashes for the Lions franchise. Jim Schwartz was leading the Lions through a turnaround not too unlike where the Lions are at now, and Best’s retirement seemed to stagnate that turnaround in a way that Schwartz’s teams never recovered from.

This technically wasn’t a singular injury, though, but rather the culmination of Best’s five concussions since he entered college. If I had to pick a single injury, that has to go to Mikel Leshoure’s Achilles tear.

For a brief moment in Detroit Lions lore, Leshoure was meant to fill the gap left by Best as Detroit’s franchise back. However, an Achilles injury is arguably the most debilitating injury an athlete can have in today’s football landscape, and Leshoure never found the burst he once had following his injury.

Which injury do you consider the most devastating in your Detroit Lions fandom? Let us know in the comments.