With the Lions lined up and about to take a knee at the end of their 34-9 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, Lions center Dominic Raiola dived at defensive end Zach Moore's knees in what was widely described as a cheap shot.
Here's what happened ...
Afterward, Raiola explained his thought process, saying, "I cut him. We took a knee, so I cut the nose [tackle]. They went for six [a touchdown]. They went for a touchdown at two minutes. They could have took three knees and the game could have been over. It's football. He wants to keep playing football, let's play football. Not a big deal. It's football."
On Monday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked about the play, and he took this not-so-subtle jab at Raiola.
"Sure there was a lot of frustration there with Raiola. He's never beaten us. Tough day for him." - Belichick with subtle tweak of Lions C
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) November 24, 2014
Belichick, of course, is right. In his 14-year career, Raiola is 0-4 against New England. Making matters worse is this: According to the Pro Football Focus metrics, Raiola had a negative performance for Detroit -- his fourth-worst game of the season.
