The Detroit Lions have placed defensive tackle Haloti Ngata on injured reserve due to an elbow injury he suffered in Detroit’s Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers, NFL.com's Kevin Patra reports.

Although the 33-year-old can still be reinstated from injured reserve in eight weeks, the injury is likely to be season-ending. Moreover, it could potentially be career-ending. Ngata is in the final year of his contract and had briefly considered retirement before opting to return for another season.

While not the same dominant force he was in his prime with the Baltimore Ravens, Ngata had been having a strong season for the Lions, particularly as a pass rusher. He already recorded two sacks in five games after having just four in 17 games over his first two seasons with the Lions.

Ngata also remained a big factor in Detroit’s strong run defense alongside A’Shawn Robinson. The Lions are allowing just 3.3 yards per carry, tied for fourth-fewest in the league this season. Despite losing to Carolina, they still held the Panthers’ strong running game to 28 yards on 28 carries.

The Lions will likely turn to Akeem Spence and Jeremiah Ledbetter to replace Ngata on the interior, and have already signed Datone Jones and Caraun Reid for added depth.