The Detroit Lions’ nightmare start against the Buffalo Bills may have gotten considerably worse.

With Detroit trailing 14-0 in the second quarter and Buffalo driving again, veteran defensive back Avonte Maddox went down with an injury and needed assistance getting off the field.

MLive’s Kory Woods reported that Maddox was pounding his fist on the turf immediately after the play and was visibly upset. Lions staffers helped him toward the sideline before a cart was brought out, and Maddox headed to the locker room.

The severity and exact nature of the injury have not yet been announced.

That distinction matters. Anything beyond what happened on the field would be speculation.

But the potential consequences for Detroit’s already depleted secondary are difficult to ignore.

Maddox entered Thursday as considerably more than emergency depth.

With Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph both unavailable on Reserve/PUP, Detroit has relied on veterans Maddox and Chuck Clark to help stabilize the safety position. The Lions entered training camp expecting Maddox to provide versatility throughout the secondary, an important role given the uncertainty surrounding Branch and Joseph.

Maddox started Detroit’s season opener against New Orleans and recorded seven tackles and two passes defended.

Ironically, this is the second straight game in which Maddox has created an injury scare.

He briefly left Week 1 after appearing to suffer an arm injury before eventually returning. We covered that initial Maddox injury scare against the Saints.

This one looked considerably more concerning in the moment.

Lions Can Barely Afford Another Secondary Injury

Detroit was already walking a thin line before Maddox went down.

Branch and Joseph cannot return before Week 5. Christian Izien only returned this week after missing the opener with a groin injury. D.J. Reed entered Thursday questionable with a foot issue before ultimately being active, while Detroit’s coverage surrendered 410 passing yards to Tyler Shough just four days ago.

We outlined why Izien’s expected return was so important to Detroit’s secondary before Thursday’s matchup.

Nobody expected Detroit to need that depth quite this quickly.

Buffalo had already raced to a two-touchdown advantage when Maddox was injured, and Josh Allen was again moving the Bills deep into Detroit territory. The Lions’ defense entered the second quarter having struggled to contain both Allen’s arm and his legs.

Losing another experienced defensive back against that offense is about as poorly timed as an injury can get.

Lions Await Word on Maddox

For now, there is no confirmed diagnosis.

That is the most important part of the story.

Maddox’s reaction, the assistance required to reach the sideline and his trip to the locker room are obviously concerning, but none of them tells us how long he could be out.

Detroit will provide an official injury designation when more information becomes available.

Until then, all the Lions can do is adjust.

They already entered Thursday without two starting offensive linemen and their two best safeties.

Now another key member of the secondary is in the locker room.

Not exactly how Dan Campbell drew up the first half in Buffalo.