KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Detroit Lions are hopeful the upcoming bye week will do Kerby Joseph and his injured knee a lot of good.
However, they still have one game to go before getting to the week off. And the All-Pro safety did his best to brush off questions about needing extra time to let his knee heal. Joseph said he remains “All gas, no brakes” and that he hates not playing.
“Not trying to slow down for nobody,” Joseph said on Sunday night. “And I don’t like to be left out.”
Joseph added that the bye week is undoubtedly a good opportunity to rest and let his wounds heal, though. He answered questions from reporters in the locker room, but kept it short and sweet while getting dressed and doing his best to get out.
“Well, I don’t know, man. I like playing, so I don’t like not playing,” Joseph said in the locker room. “It’s all mental. Mental.”
Joseph exited the game in the second quarter. He needed help off the field and from trainers just to make it to the bench. But there he was, back on the field after the two-minute warning and a quick break, doing his best to lift the banged-up defense.
Safety Thomas Harper was the one who replaced Joseph in the second quarter. To Harper’s credit, he made a timely pass breakup on a fourth-down pass attempt from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to receiver Xavier Worthy in the second quarter.
The Lions had both of their safeties as questionable game-time decisions entering Sunday night’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. They were missing cornerbacks D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold and Khalil Dorsey, not to mention veteran Avonte Maddox.
Brian Branch played through a lower-body injury, making headlines after the game for all the wrong reasons. And Joseph went through pre-game warmups and looked to be rejuvenated with energy after returning to action. But he was visibly limping and playing through the pain as he’s done through six games.
Joseph still has three interceptions, remaining one of the league’s best ball-hawking defensive backs. He has missed a ton of practice time while the Lions work to get his knee calmed down during the week. But it’s something that has stuck with him since training camp, and many are wondering if the Lions might take a similar approach to what they have done with left tackle Taylor Decker with Joseph’s knee.
Joseph’s status ahead of next week’s game back at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is one of the main things to watch this week. He’s continued to play despite the Lions saying all he needs is time.
But with a crucial four-game stretch inside the NFC ahead, with several missing pieces in the secondary, the Lions need their All-Pro safety more than ever.
“I think if he gets some significant time off, this thing will calm down,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the 30-17 loss. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time. We tried to calm it down as much as we could and get him out here to where he is ready to play; he feels good enough to play, and we gave him a go. I would like to say once we get to the bye, this thing will calm down. That’s what we believe. We won’t know until we do it, until it happens.”
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