An emotional win for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday did not come with a price. The Eagles lost several players with injuries during the victory, the biggest one being DeVonta Smith.
Smith was knocked out with a concussion and was on the ground for several minutes after officials were reluctant to blow the whistle at the end of a play. As several New Orleans Saints defenders pulled Smith back, defensive tackle Khristian Boyd came up on Smith’s blind side and knocked him down.
While it appeared Boyd was going after Smith’s shoulder pads which caused the collision, CJ Gardner-Johnson didn’t see it that way.
“Man, that’s the dirtiest shit I’ve ever seen in football, bro,” Gardner-Johnson said via a transcript provided by the team. “You obviously saw that forward progression was stopped. And for them to take a cheap shot on one of our key guys, it shows what kind of team this is. They’re the best.”
The official not blowing the whistle when Smith was dragged back by several defenders prompted the Boyd hit, but that was one of several plays that put the Saints defense in question. Offensive tackle Trevor Penning received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after blocking Darius Slay past the sideline and into the bleachers where the players sit. Slay was injured on the play.
All the Eagles could discuss was Smith’s injury and his well-being. Boyd did not receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the play.
“I saw him (get hit), and then I waved to the coaching staff, like he’s cold. It was scary,” said offensive tackle Fred Johnson, who replaced Lane Johnson in the second half. “You never want to see (something) like that, especially on a play where he catches the ball, and he runs back about five steps.
“It’s up to the refs to call that play dead, and take the necessary action when he’s hit late. DeVonta’s size, and so a lineman hitting him after five steps of him catching the ball, it’s unprofessional. They’re going to look at it. and see , that they must take necessary actions.”
The Eagles weren’t happy about what happened, though Boyd took to Instagram to wish Smith well. Boyd said he would never “intentionally try to give someone serious injury.”
“Any way it goes, man, that got no place (in) football,” Gardner-Johnson said. “You always talk about Ceedy this, Ceedy that, but let’s talk about playing dirty on their side. At the end of the day, the league will deal with it.”
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