Mics Caught Matthew Stafford Berating Lions’ Kerby Joseph for ‘Dirty’ Hit

One lowlight of Sunday’s wild-card playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions was a fourth-quarter hit that resulted in a serious injury. 

Rams tight end Tyler Higbee was hit low by Lions safety Kerby Joseph, causing Higbee’s right knee to bend sideways. The eight-year veteran left the game and was later diagnosed with a torn ACL and MCL in his knee. 

Many fans immediately called Joseph out for a similar hit on Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson in Week 16 that also resulted in a serious knee injury. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford had the same reaction, except he was able to confront Joseph directly on the field. 

In a video clip circulating on social media Wednesday night, Stafford is caught by NFL Films microphones calling Joseph out for the hit, saying he was “dirty as f---.” 

“Hey! Hey! That’s a good hit. That’s a good hit. You dirty as f---, though, and you know it,” Stafford yelled at Joseph after the play. “You dirty as f---. It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it. It’s been on tape.” 

The “tape” Stafford refers to is presumably Joseph’s hit on Hockenson three weeks earlier. Officials did not call Joseph for a penalty on either play. 

Asked about the play on Thursday, Lions coach Dan Campbell defended Joseph, saying that’s how he’s been coached. 

“That’s how we play football here. Just keep your head up, see what you hit,” Campbell told reporters, including the Detroit News’s Justin Rogers. 

“That will always be what I tell Kerby. Just keep your eyes up, so you don’t hit on the crown of your helmet,” he added. “You [compress] your spine, you mess yourself up there. Just see what you hit. No, he’s going for the thigh board and staying away from the head. That’s how we play defense here. Not dirty. It’s just where we hit.”

The Rams and Lions will play again next season in Detroit.