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Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly was not happy with New York Giants pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux during Sunday’s matchup.
As Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk noted, Colts quarterback Nick Foles exited the game with a rib injury he suffered on a Thibodeaux sack. While the pass-rusher may not have seen Foles on the ground in pain, he made snow angels on the field in the immediate aftermath and later made a “go to sleep” gesture on the sideline.
“Hopefully his teammates will—maybe one day he’ll learn that injuries happen in this league, you never want it to happen to the guy that you’re going against,” Kelly said, per JJ Stankevitz of the Colts’ website. “That’s just horses–t.”
For his part, Thibodeaux told reporters: “When I did realize that he was hurt, that’s when we started getting up. When you’re doing a celebration, you’re not looking to see who’s doing what. But I hope he gets well, and I hope he’s all right.”
New York had no trouble during the 38-10 victory, and the rookie pass-rusher had five tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one pass defended.
Yet it was the celebration that drew much of the attention in the aftermath, especially since it happened on a play that forced the Colts to turn to Sam Ehlinger once again this season. The AFC South team has gone from Matt Ryan to Ehlinger to Foles under center and is finishing out the string on a lost campaign.
Indianapolis is an ugly 4-11-1 and may be looking for a new quarterback and head coach this offseason.
As for Thibodeaux, his presence has helped the Giants set the tone up front on the defensive side for much of his rookie campaign.
He is also playing his best football as the season progresses and recently posted 12 tackles and a forced fumble on a strip-sack that he recovered and then returned for a touchdown during a Week 15 win over the Washington Commanders.
The Giants clinched their first playoff appearance since the 2016 season with Sunday’s win, which will put the rookie under even more of a spotlight once the postseason begins. That spotlight could bring more scrutiny if there are any more controversial celebrations or plays, but it could also lead to more praise if he continues to play well.
For now, though, he was called out by one of his opponents.