Second-year cornerback Jeff Okudah's season is over after he picked up an Achilles injury in the fourth quarter of the Detroit Lions' loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Monday 13 September 2021 16:11, UK
Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah is out for the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during the team's 41-33 Week One defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
An MRI confirmed the full extent of the 2020 first-round pick's injury after he exited Sunday's game with the Lions trailing 41-17 in the fourth quarter.
The news comes as a cruel blow to the development of last year's third overall pick, who entered 2021 with aspirations of a breakout season on the back of a lacklustre and injury-hit rookie campaign.
Okudah had been enduring another mixed performance prior to leaving the game, notably giving up a 79-yard touchdown to Deebo Samuel on an underthrown ball to the sideline that the 49ers wide receiver was able to haul in before cutting inside and racing to the end zone.
"The ball gets fluttered up in the air, the long one," said head coach Dan Campbell. "Jeff just didn't get his eyes around. They made a play on the ball, and it hurt us. I would say for Jeff, it was an up-and-down game.
"He flashes on a few plays and you're like, 'Woah, okay, there he is.' Then, the next thing you know, something happens. I don't want to make excuses, but at the same time, he's in year two, and he made some young errors."
Okudah finished 2020 with 47 tackles, one interception and two pass defenses while playing 40.93 per cent of defensive snaps in nine games.
His absence leaves Amani Oruwariye as the other starting cornerback across from him, while it could pave the way to a prominent role for third-round rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu.
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