Morice Norris taken by ambulance as Lions-Falcons game ends early

The Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons preseason game came to a somber standstill on Friday night when Lions safety Morice Norris took a hard shot to the head.

Norris was attended to for about 20 minutes and taken off the field in an ambulance. The game ended with 6:31 to go after the players let the clock run.

Norris was hurt with 14:50 to go trying to tackle Nathan Carter. There was no immediate report on the injury.

When play resumed, Falcons quarterback Emory Jones took a snap and then held the ball as players from both teams stood at the line of scrimmage and the clock continued to run. Finally, with 6:31 left, an official announced the game had been suspended “per New York.”

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The Lions led 17-10 when played was stopped.

Lions coach Dan Campbell addressed the incident in the postgame press conference.

“He’s breathing, he’s talking. It’s good. He’s got some movement,” Campbell said. “Now, they’ll just run more tests.”

Lions quarterback Kyle Allen told reporters he was praying for Norris, adding, “It’s a terrible game sometimes.”

“I don’t think anyone on that sideline wanted to play,” Allen said. “We weren’t part of that decision, but you could just look in everyone’s eyes and see it wasn’t worth it.”

The 24-year-old Norris joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2024 out of Fresno State. He spent time on Detroit’s practice squad before joining the active roster last season and appearing in two games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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