"Ridiculous, dangerous and cowardly!" - NFL fans left debating over Bengals player's brutal tackle on Kayvon Thibodeaux during preseason game

New York Giants Training Camp Enter caption

Kayvon Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft, is seen as one of the best pass rushers in the draft class. The New York Giants played the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason game on Sunday and things didn't go as planned.

Thibodeaux exited the game after a block by Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss. NFL fans took to social media to discuss the play and whether it was a clean or dirty play.

Some fans, including Fox Sports 1 NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho, thought that the play was dirty.

However, other NFL fans, including ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, said the play involving Moss and Thibodeaux was legal:

The Giants outside linebacker was cut-blocked by Moss in the second quarter and went down to the turf. Kayvon Thibodeaux clutched his knee and was in visible pain before a cart arrived to take him off the field. The outside linebacker got up on his own and went to the medical tent before eventually going to the Giants' locker room.

Also Checkout:- Bengals Preseason Schedule

The team ruled him out of the preseason game almost immediately with a knee injury, but didn’t give any particulars. Giants head coach Brian Daboll said that the play involving the team's top draft pick was legal:

"Anytime you see someone on the turf, regardless of how they got here, it’s hard as a coach to watch a guy go down … That’s the rules. They allow [the block]."

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Was the Kayvon Thibodeaux play clean or dirty?

2022 NFL Draft - Round 1

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the play was within the rules, even though it was dirty. Here's what he said:

"Moss hit Thibodeaux within the tackle box. No flag was thrown. No fine should be imposed. But whether it was legal doesn’t make it clean. NFL players hate having their knees targeted, regardless of whether it’s a legal play."

Florio added:

"It causes potentially serious injury. It’s one of the reasons why receivers would much rather take a blow to the head. A concussion fades fairly quickly. A torn ACL may permanently alter a career, and it definitely will derail it for months."

While the debate rages on about the play, the biggest takeaway is that Kayvon Thibodeaux has avoided a potentially career-changing injury.

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