The Detroit Lions came under fire for what many considered to be a dirty play during their wild-card win over the Los Angeles Rams on the weekend.
The Lions have won their first playoff game since the 1992 season and are on top of the world right now, though a matchup against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has proven it can compete with the best of the lot still looms.
While plenty of fans have bought into Detroit’s feel-good story, one particular play marred proceedings on Sunday as Rams tight end Tyler Higbee sustained a torn ACL and MCL thanks to a hit from Kerby Joseph.
The safety insisted he did not mean to hurt the Rams pass-catcher but has been on the end of much criticism, including from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who ran over to him to say the following immediately after the play:
“Hey, that’s a good hit,” Stafford was heard saying. “You’re dirty as F- though, and you know it. You’re dirty as F-, it’s been on tape, I’ve seen it. Hey, it’s been on tape.”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell is defending his player, claiming it’s just the way the team plays football.
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“That’s how we play football here. Just keep your head up, see what you hit. That’ll always be what I tell Kerby,” Campbell told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s going for the thigh board and staying away from the head. That’s how we play defense here. It’s not dirty. We hit.”
The aforementioned injury was the second resulting from a hit from Joseph over the span of the last few weeks, with Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson suffering a torn ACL and MCL from a Joseph tackle in December.
The safety claimed he was praying for Higbee after the incident but would not change the way he plays the game.
