Detroit Lions LB Alex Anzalone shared a raw image of his broken forearm

Before returning to action on Sunday, January 5, the Detroit Lions star Alex Anzalone showed the harrowing journey it took to get there.

A few hours beforehis team Sunday night football disassembly with the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Detroit, Anzalone, 30, posted a photo of his broken forearm after surgery on his Instagram story.

“Everybody wants to be a dog until you have to do dog things,” Anzalone wrote alongside a picture of his stitched up left arm.

Anzalone broke his left forearm after colliding with a teammate Brian Branchhelmet in the Lions game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 17.

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According to Detroit Free PressAnzalone has a metal plate under the scar on his forearm. Anzalone underwent surgery a week after he was injured.

He returned to the lineup Sunday, six weeks after surgery, to help the Lions beat the Vikings 31-9 to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC and advance to the first round of the playoffs. They also won the NFC North division for the second straight season.

“Any time you get hurt or face adversity, it’s an opportunity to grow from a mindset standpoint,” Anzalone told reporters after the game. “I feel like I grew up in different ways. You get the game taken away from you and when you come back it’s a blessing to play again.”

After missing the Lions’ previous six games, Anzalone said the win over the Vikings was “a statement.” Head coach of “Detroit”. Dan Campbell praised his returning midfielder for the boost his presence has given the team.

“His comeback was big,” Campbell, 48, told reporters. “Look, I’ve said it before, he’s really our quarterback on defense. He brings a lot of confidence, a lot of energy. He can calm the storm. I thought he would need a minute to recover and it didn’t take long. He’s back to what he was before the injury.”

When Anzalone returned from the game, he shared a message from his wife: Lindsay Anzalonewrote for him on an eraser board.

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“Welcome home!” Lindsey wrote in a photo posted by Alex via his Instagram Story. “We are so proud of you!”

Alex captioned the photo: “My why ❤️.”

The couple, who got married in June 2019, have two children: a son Cooper3 and a daughter Carter14 months.

After a first-round bye, Anzalone and the Lions will return to action during the NFL’s divisional playoffs, which begin Saturday, Jan. 18, as Detroit tries to win its first Super Bowl in franchise history.