LOOK: Steelers Pouncey has choice words for Lions following SNF matchup

By
Matt Bassin
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  1. At the end of the Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday Night Football game was the usual victory formation, followed by the kneel to run the clock and end the game. This has been done hundreds of times and was the finish on the Steelers 20-15 victory.

http://gty.im/867990080

However, according to Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, the Lions were not just accepting defeat.

“You have to show sportsmanship,” Pouncey told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “You just lost the game. We’re taking a knee. What are you trying to prove right now? If anybody’s playing [dirty], that’s dirty shit right there. They literally tried to attack me, come off 100 miles per hour. I ain’t going for that … Do it during the game. You want to do it while we’re taking a knee? It’s a general rule of sportsmanship. You don’t do that type of shit.”

During the play in question, Lions’ defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and Akeem Spence were a bit aggressive, leading to a scuffle and maybe a punch or two thrown. Ok the maybe can maybe be taken out.

Nevermind, it can definitely be taken out of the statement.

https://twitter.com/steel_curtain4/status/924841676635504641

While football is a tough game and can get dirty in the trenches, Pouncey is correct about the unspoken rule of the kneel-down. But then again this is football and fake spikes turn into touchdowns because the defense didn’t play through the whistle.

Look, it was a tough game against a perrenial tough team, and the Lions had multiple chances to win this game and did not finish the job. I understand tensions run high, these are prideful guys, and while I’m not certain, I have a good feeling Pouncey and others had some words in the trenches that led to fists being thrown. It does not excuse it, but i’ll take guys showing fight to the end over guys giving up. Any day of the week.