The Detroit Lions‘ playoff hopes came crashing down in Week 17, as they suffered an ugly 20-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day. It was a fitting conclusion to what has been a disappointing season for the Lions, as the offense committed six turnovers, allowing a Vikings offense led by undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer to do just enough to squeak out a win.
Just days before this loss, Detroit found itself in another controversial incident involving one of its fans, Ryan Kennedy, and Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver DK Metcalf. After the team’s crushing loss, Kennedy hosted a press conference addressing the situation, while also taking a second to call out Metcalf in the process.
Lions Fan Bashes DK Metcalf for Making False Claim
In Week 16, the Lions suffered a 29-24 loss to the Steelers that was full of controversy. Not only was the way the game ended the subject of much criticism, but a clip emerged of Metcalf grabbing a fan in the stands, later identified as Kennedy, before shoving him backwards. Metcalf’s actions earned him a two-game suspension that will force him to miss Pittsburgh’s final two regular-season contests.
Several new clips of Kennedy and Metcalf’s confrontation have emerged on social media, with both guys trading barbs with each other along the way. Metcalf claimed that Kennedy directed derogatory language towards him, which prompted his response. Reports have also emerged revealing that Metcalf reported Kennedy to the Seattle Seahawks‘ security team during his time with his former team.
The new clips of the incident, though, do not show Kennedy using any derogatory language towards Metcalf, prompting the longtime Lions fan to address the incident. On Friday, Kennedy denied using any sort of racist language towards Metcalf, and he called out the Steelers’ pass catcher for falsely accusing him of such actions.
“I want to be crystal clear about one thing; I didn’t use any racial slurs, no hate speech, none of that stuff at the game,” Kennedy said during his press conference. “DeKaylin, if you’re watching this, if you could just say that (I didn’t use any racial slurs), please. My family is getting threats and stuff, it’s not cool.”
Lions Turn Attention to 2026 Campaign After Crushing Loss
GettyFollowing Detroit Lions’ Christmas Day loss to the Vikings, head coach Dan Campbell talked about the future of the franchise.
The whole situation involving Kennedy and Metcalf has only added to Detroit’s late-season woes. After earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture last year, the Lions have completely collapsed down the stretch, with the end result seeing them miss the playoffs entirely after they entered the year as one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the league.
Detroit is going to have a busy offseason, as it will have to figure out why things went off the rails for them this year before identifying ways to fix the team’s myriad of issues. First, the Lions still have one game left in the 2025 campaign, as they will take on the Chicago Bears in Week 18, where they will have an opportunity to play spoiler for the new NFC North frontrunner.
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