The low hit raised some concerns, though the Bears quarterback seemed fine.
The Detroit Lions secured a last-minute victory over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving, largely due to some frustrating time management decisions by the Bears. However, Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus’ puzzling call wasn’t the only significant moment in the game.
At one point, a low tackle from Lions linebacker Jack Campbell briefly forced Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to the medical tent. Fans immediately took to social media to discuss: Was Campbell’s hit dirty? Why didn’t Williams, whose knees clearly buckled on impact, slide or run out of bounds to avoid the hit? Was Williams attempting a freeze or juke that failed? Or was this simply a rookie error?
Williams was fine and threw a touchdown shortly after. Naturally, reporters asked him about the play afterward.
“Um, knee’s fine,” Williams told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Yeah, I—that play was weird… I didn’t really like the hit. He kind of dove right at my knee. So I didn’t really get that. Definitely a little frustrated with it, just because, you know, whatever. Yeah, knee’s good. Nothing wrong with it. Just a bruise. But the play was—yeah, it was weird.”
See the play below:
While Williams may not have appreciated the hit, the general consensus is that Campbell was within his rights to make it; Williams was outside the pocket and on the run, making him fair game for such tackles.