During Thursday’s NFL game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was on the receiving end of a hit from Lions linebacker Jack Campbell that left Williams briefly sidelined. After the game, Williams addressed the incident and shared his thoughts on the hit.
Here’s what Williams had to say about the hit on his knee.
Caleb Williams expresses his view on Jack Campbell’s hit on his knee
In the second half of Thursday’s game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams took a low hit from Lions linebacker Jack Campbell along the sideline. The hit caused Williams’ left knee to buckle, prompting a quick medical evaluation on the sideline. Despite initial concerns, Williams returned to the field without missing a snap and later confirmed that his knee was only bruised. He said, “Yeah, knee’s good. Nothing wrong with it. Think I just got a bruise.” (via NBC Sports)
When asked about the hit after the game, Williams didn’t hold back and described the play as “funky.” He said, “Yeah, I — that play was funky. Just put it that way. I don’t really — you know, I didn’t really appreciate the play. He just kind of dove straight at my knee. So I didn’t really get that. Definitely kind of frustrated about that one, just ‘cause, you know, whatever.”
While Williams may have felt the play was unfair, the rules allowed Campbell to make the hit. Once a quarterback leaves the pocket and becomes a runner, he loses the protections typically given to him, including the prohibition against low hits. Campbell was well within his rights to make the low tackle as Williams was no longer in a protected quarterback position.
Despite the frustration over the play, Williams quickly recovered and went on to throw a touchdown after returning to the game.
