Detroit Lions best and worst PFF grades from the playoff win over the Bucs

Let’s take a look at the best and worst PFF graded players for the Detroit Lions in their victorious encounter with the Buccaneers.

Following their triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Detroit Lions are now on the cusp of glory, eyeing the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.

The victory was the result of a collective effort from all three phases, reflecting the Lions’ characteristic resilience in close matches. This team is built to adapt, with each phase compensating when one aspect takes a moment to find its rhythm. While key players delivered outstanding performances that propelled the Lions to victory, there were also areas where improvement is needed as they prepare to face San Francisco.

Let’s take a look at the best and worst PFF graded players for the Lions in their victorious encounter with the Buccaneers.

NFL didn’t fine Lions DB Kerby Joseph for low hit on Tyler Higbee

The NFL didn’t fine Kerby Joseph for his low hit on Tyler Higbee, which caused the TE to suffer a torn ACL and MCL

Tyler Higbee’s 2023 season ended in heartbreaking fashion in the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the Detroit Lions. During the fourth quarter, he took a hit to his knee from Kerby Joseph as he was attempting to make a catch, causing his leg to buckle.

Higbee suffered a torn ACL and MCL and will have a long offseason of rehab, potentially even missing the start of the 2024 season. Joseph wasn’t flagged for the low hit on Higbee and according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the league didn’t fine Joseph for the tackle, either.

Joseph was fined for a different play in the first quarter, however.

Rams fans have called Joseph dirty for the hit on Higbee and even Matthew Stafford went up to him during the game and called him “dirty as (expletive).” The NFL didn’t view it as an illegal play, however, and will not punish Joseph.

Notably, Joseph is also the one who hit T.J. Hockenson when he tore his ACL in December, so Higbee’s wasn’t the first injury he caused this year.

Aaron Glenn strongly defends Kerby Joseph against ‘dirty player’ accusations

“Kerby plays football, and we’re going to continue to play football. And we don’t care what anybody else has to say.”

During the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams, Lions safety Kerby Joseph made a play against Rams tight end Tyler Higbee that resulted in Higbee tearing up his knee. Joseph dove at Higbee’s legs as the tight end tried to haul in a high throw over the middle from Rams QB Matthew Stafford.

After the play, Stafford got after Joseph. He told the young safety, whom he never played with in Detroit, that it was a dirty hit. Here’s what Stafford said to Joseph, via Rams Wire,

“Hey! Hey! That’s a good hit. That’s a good hit,” Stafford said. “You’re dirty as (expletive), though. And you know it. You’re dirty as (expletive). It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it. It’s been on tape. You’re right. You’re right.”

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn wanted nothing to do with any assertions that Joseph’s hit was done with intent to injure.

“Absolutely not. This is football. This is football,” Glenn said agitatedly when asked if he thought the hit was dirty and if he needed to talk to Joseph about his style of play. “And I understand exactly what the NFL is doing when it comes to trying to – a player’s safety, and I totally agree with it. And the thing that he did against the Minnesota Vikings, he hit a guy high, and he got fined for it. So then he hits a guy low, and people are saying he’s a dirty player. Kerby plays football, and we’re going to continue to play football. And we don’t care what anybody else has to say.”

Glenn was just getting started.

“Listen, no one wants anybody to get hurt in this league. No one wants that. Hell, I was hurt in this League before, so I understand; I know how it feels. But I also understand I play football and when you play football, things like that happen. So, guys have got to continue to play no matter what. And it kind of bothers me that you hear that from people across the league because you know the risk you’re taking when you play this game and that’s just what it is.”

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Mics caught Matthew Stafford calling out Kerby Joseph for his brutal hit on Tyler Higbee

Matthew Stafford was NOT happy with Kerby Joseph.

Matthew Stafford is going to stick up for his guys. He’s even willing to call out what he seemingly feels is unsportsmanlike behavior, no matter who you are. A newly released clip caught Stafford giving an earful to Detroit Lions Safety Kerby Joseph for his season-ending hit on Tyler Higbee.

Matthew Stafford’s playoff homecoming with the Detroit Lions was a mixed bag of emotions. There was booing from fans, missed calls by the refs and even an unfortunate mid-game injury to tight end Tyler Higbee. As you might imagine, Stafford didn’t take too kindly to the hit that ultimately ended Higbee’s day early and led to a torn ACL and MCL.

New footage of the injury aftermath has surfaced, and mics caught the Los Angeles quarterback calling out Kerby Joseph with some very colorful language.

(Warning: NSFW language.)

Mic’d-up: Matthew Stafford calls Kerby Joseph ‘dirty as (expletive)’ for hit on Tyler Higbee

“Hey! Hey! That’s a good hit. That’s a good hit. You’re dirty as (expletive), though. And you know it. You’re dirty as (expletive). It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it.”

Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions, Tyler Higbee went down with a knee injury that would prevent him from returning. He went up for a high pass and as he came down, Lions safety Kerby Joseph delivered a shot to his knee, causing it to buckle.

Higbee has since been diagnosed with a torn ACL and MCL, and Matthew Stafford felt it was a dirty hit from the start.

Immediately after Higbee went down, Stafford ran over to Kerby and had some words with him. He called the safety “dirty as (expletive)” and said “it’s been on tape.”

“Hey! Hey! That’s a good hit. That’s a good hit,” Stafford said. “You’re dirty as (expletive), though. And you know it. You’re dirty as (expletive). It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it. It’s been on tape. You’re right. You’re right.”

Joseph has said he never intended to injure anyone or hurt their careers, but this is now the second time in a month that he’s caused a tight end to suffer a torn ACL. He did the same to Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson in December, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

No flag was thrown on Joseph for the hit on Higbee and it’s technically not a foul, but it’s unfortunate that the play resulted in a serious knee injury for Higbee.

Harrison Smith comments on dirty hits in today’s NFL

Smith took to Twitter to discuss late and dirty hits in the NFL with some important context

The way the game is trending in the National Football League is lighting up some interesting discussions, especially about hits.

During the wild card game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, Bills center Connor McGovern hit Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the back while he was trying to bring down Stefon Diggs.

The Twitter account MLFootball commented how it was disgusting and it brought a rare tweet from Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who broke down why hits like this were coming.

It’s nice to see these kinds of explanations from players, as it adds necessary context that most people don’t have, as they don’t spend time in meeting rooms.

In the same thread, Smith was asked about Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph whose low hit tore the ACL of Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee, three weeks after the same hit tore the ACL and MCL of Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson.

What Smith said is something that hasn’t been discussed nearly enough in the space of both media and social media. The hits from Joseph aren’t dirty but a consequence of trying to improve concussion rate in the NFL.

Knowledge is power and we got some from Smith.

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Lions looking to ease C.J. Gardner-Johnson back onto the field

Lions looking to ease C.J. Gardner-Johnson back onto the field and he’s not thrilled about it

Over the last two weeks, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been back at practice for the Detroit Lions. He worked his way back from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered in Week 2 this season. Since then, the Lions have been searching for production from their safety position.

There was some positive play from Tracy Walker earlier in the season but defensively, he was benched in Week 14. Since then, he hasn’t played any defensive snaps. The most consistent safety the Lions have had has been Kerby Joseph and at times, the team will rotate Brian Branch back to play as a split-safety or even have Cover 3 responsibilities.

However, it seems like the player that has stepped up the most as of late has been Ifeatu Melifonwu. Since week 14, he’s seen a significant increase with his role on defense and has become a starter for this unit. During this time, Melifonwu has compiled 21 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Lions work Gardner-Johnson back into the fold with the consistency from Joseph and the spark that Melifonwu has provided. Especially when talking to reporters on Friday, Gardner-Johnson had this to say about a rotation, “Getting into a rotation, I’m cool with it, but how can I say this? I don’t want to sound like I’m selfish or an a******, but I ain’t get back early to be in a rotation. But I’m doing what I need to do as a team player to get my body going.”

Unfortunately, that might be the case for Gardner-Johnson this weekend against the Vikings. From the sounds of it, Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn will ease him back onto the field. When talking with the media, Campbell alluded to that, “It doesn’t mean that he has to like it, but he’s going to go out there and when he’s on the field, he’s going to give what he’s got.”

No question, all ideas will be on the Lions first defensive series to see if Gardner-Johnson is out there with the starters. If I had to guess, the Lions will look more into their dime packages with Melifonwu, Branch, Joseph and Gardner-Johnson all on the field at the same time. Branch and Gardner-Johnson would play more so over the slot and they wouldn’t have to worry about deep coverage unless they were in man coverage.

Either way, the Lions getting Gardner-Johnson back before the playoffs is huge. Despite only playing two games this year, he does have 13 tackles and two pass deflections. He’ll look to add to that and finish the season strong as he returns to Ford Field on Sunday as the Lions close out the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings.

Best and worst PFF grades for the Lions loss vs the Cowboys

The best and worst PFF graded players for the Detroit Lions in their loss against the Dallas Cowboys

Even after a night’s rest, the sting lingers from the Detroit Lions’ 20-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, a defeat that can only be described as tough in every sense of the word.

Considering the competitiveness between two playoff-caliber teams, there were pivotal moments in the game where execution could have been different for the Lions. Unfortunately, the conversation now revolves around the referee error that nullified the potential game-winning two-point conversion for the Lions. Overcoming such challenging situations is tough, but this resilient team is poised to move forward, gearing up to face the Minnesota Vikings next week.

While some Lions delivered masterful performances last night, others may hesitate to review the tape. Here are the best and worst PFF grades for the Lions against the Cowboys.

Studs and Duds for the Lions division-winning victory over the Vikings

The Detroit Lions have clinched the NFC North with a win over the Minnesota Vikings and here this week’s Lions Studs and Duds.

Today marks a historic moment as the Detroit Lions secure their first division title in three decades, triumphing over the Minnesota Vikings with a hard-fought 30-24 victory. Despite the hurdles faced, this win epitomizes the resilient spirit of the Lions.

While the victory may not be characterized as flawless, with several self-inflicted mistakes threatening the outcome, the Lions demonstrated remarkable composure and determination to secure the division. The defense faced formidable challenges from key Vikings players, yet unexpected contributors stepped up when needed, while the offense relied on its stars to seize crucial moments and propel them to victory.

In light of this division-clinching triumph over the Vikings, let’s take a closer look at the Studs and Duds for the Lions this week.

Lions safety Kerby Joseph was so hyped by his interception he started celebrating mid-play

Did Kerby Joseph briefly forget to run it back??

Sunday’s Lions-Vikings game was a weird one, and the first half had a little bit of everything, including some carelessness from both sides not taking care of the ball.

But nothing was quite like when Detroit safety Kerby Joseph notched the Lions’ second interception of the first half and reacted with a slightly (but hilariously) premature celebration.

With less than three minutes left in the second quarter on third-and-7 from the Vikings 18-yard line, Minnesota quarterback Nick Mullens was eyeing receiver Jordan Addison with a deep pass. But Joseph got there first and snagged the pick. After taking a couple steps, Joseph then stretched out his arms in celebration, seemingly forgetting he was still in the middle of a play and needed to run it back.

He ultimately did return the interception for 22 yards, but his early celebration was too funny.

It’s almost like he thought he was way closer to the sideline than he was before realizing he was, in fact, still in bounds.