Joseph hadn’t recorded a pick since Week 11, but he was back in full effect Monday, each of his INTs coming when Purdy was targeting Pearsall, who still had the best game of his season with eight receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown.
“Really proud of him,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Joseph. “It’s what we talked about. When we needed it the most, man, he came up big. We’ve been talking about it, we knew we needed to get takeaways, and it was just another example of playing complementary football. He came up in a big way. And not just that, the picks, but he had some critical tackles in this game and just really showed up for us. That was big.”
In the third quarter, after the 49ers had scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives, Joseph, who added six tackles and two pass breakups, was gifted a pick on an errant Purdy throw. It led to a go-ahead Lions touchdown drive.
Two San Francisco offensive drives later, the Lions were leading 34-28 when Joseph jumped in front of Pearsall for pick No. 2. That led to a Jahmyr Gibbs 30-yard touchdown, which would hold as the game-winner.
Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and Alex Anzalone are among the 13 Detroit defenders currently on injured reserve. With the Lions heading to the playoffs and vying for the NFC North title and the conference’s top seed on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit’s D isn’t going to get healthy in a hurry.
So, it bodes even bigger for the pride that it has Joseph showing up and making game-changing plays.
Monday was a microcosm of that. It was hardly a sterling evening for the injury-plagued Lions defense, as it allowed 475 yards and five touchdowns. Thus, Joseph’s interceptions were all the more pivotal.
The 2022 NFL Draft third-round pick is turning in what’s easily been his most productive season.
Clearly, he’s always been a big-play maven, as evidenced by posting four INTs in each of his first two seasons. His current total of nine is now one more than he recorded in those two campaigns combined, however.
His 12 pass breakups are also a career best and his 77 tackles are five shy of his career high in that category.
The Lions defense, despite the ridiculous number of injuries, is hanging tough, and Joseph is a major reason why that’s happening.
“Man, I envisioned it,” Joseph said of his standout season. “I don’t feel like I imagined it. I knew this was gonna happen. I didn’t really put a number on it. I just wanted to lead the pack. I wanted to separate myself. I wanted to be different. I want to be great in this league. I don’t want to be no average Joe. I don’t want to be good; I want to be great. I want to be able to say, yeah, I deserve that gold jacket one day, so I feel like every year I just keep getting better, keep getting better. I don’t think I’m ever gonna stop.”