What happened to Kerby Joseph? Lions star safety exits early on SNF

Adam Schultz

What happened to Kerby Joseph? Lions star safety exits early on SNF image

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions star safety Kerby Joseph gave it his best shot on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs, as the defender has been dealing with a knee issue all season.

But the four-year defender didn't even last two quarters at Arrowhead Stadium.

Clearly carrying his injury, as the Chiefs were driving in the second quarter, Joseph was seen limping off the field, was helped off, and was then seen walking along the sidelines with his arms around what we think were two athletic trainers.

The Lions' PR X account posted that Kerby is officially listed as questionable to return to the game, but based on what we saw, he might not make a return, which would be a big blow to Detroit's secondary in a game where they are going against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City's offense.

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Lions defense needs to stand up with Joseph's injury

One thing we know about Mahomes is that his ability to extend plays and his play in general stresses a healthy defense to the max, and now with Kerby questionable and Brian Branch also dealing with an issue, Detroit might have to delve into its defensive bag of tricks to contain Mahomes and the Chiefs.

While we aren't sure of the extent of the injury to Joseph, we imagine that if he can return, he will, but against the arsenal of weapons at Mahomes' disposal, if he isn't 100 percent, then there will be no point in risking him and his team with a player who isn't fully healthy.

Having reportedly dealt with this knee issue for most of the season, it appears that it has finally caught up with Joseph as he was forced to exit the biggest game of the season.

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Adam Schultz

Adam Schultz is a freelance writer at The Sporting News. An Australian journalist with years of experience covering the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, Adam has interviewed several high-profile athletes in Australia for various sites and brings a unique view on the NFL.