The Detroit Lions’ Week 10 win over the Washington Commanders was one of the biggest games of the weekend, and emotions during the game matched the sky-high expectations in the lead-up to it.
One particular incident captured how temperatures boiled over during the clash, when Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne punched Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Commanders DT Javon Kinlaw Backs Teammate Daron Payne After Punching Ejection
Payne was immediately ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing a right hook square to the helmet of St. Brown. The incident followed the moment when Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran in a 14-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.
However, Washington’s Kinlaw opposed the refs’ call, arguing that St. Brown actually hit Payne first, which led to the retaliation.
In a locker room interview after the game, Kinlaw was asked whether he saw the Lions’ receiver hit his teammate first.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said in a clip on X by JP Finlay. “[The refs] did too. Sure some bullsh** — 100 percent.”
It’s uncertain to what extent Payne’s ejection impacted the Commanders’ losing effort. Before he was taken out of the game, he hadn’t recorded a single stat.
Kinlaw and company carried the load for the rest of the game. The veteran clocked two tackles in the matchup, while other names like Bobby Wagner, Quan Martin, and Mike Sainristil featured as the bright spot of the defense.
Wagner put up nine tackles, including six solo, and a quarterback hit. Martin also booked nine tackles, of which three were solo. Meanwhile, three of Sainristil’s eight tackles were solo.
Overall, Washington’s defense faltered in the face of Detroit’s offense, which hung 44 points on it. Head coach Dan Quinn had few answers for a Lions offense that was called by Dan Campbell for a change.
The changeup from their usual play-caller, John Morton, delivered a lot of fruit, as Campbell’s Lions dominated the Commanders on the road to the tune of 44-22.
Quinn ran the Commanders with one hand tied behind his back, as quarterback Jayden Daniels is still out with an elbow injury. Veteran backup Marcus Mariota picked up the slack but, as many expected, couldn’t keep pace with one of the highest-scoring offenses of Week 10.
Washington will look to revive a playoff push in Miami next Sunday, when Quinn and company travel to the Sunshine State to face the Dolphins in Week 11.
