Tracy Walker ended a fine afternoon with a foolish decision in the Lions' season-opening loss to the Eagles.
Walker was ejected in the third quarter Sunday for committing two personal fouls in the span of seconds: unnecessary roughness for a late hit on QB Jalen Hurts, followed by unsportsmanlike conduct for taking a swing at an Eagles player in an ensuing scrum.
Just like that, Detroit's starting safety was gone, sent to the showers in the first game of the three-year, $25 million contract he signed this offseason.
"I just let my team down," Walker said afterward. "As a team captain, I have to be better. I was hot-headed at the moment, and like I said, I’ve just got to make better decisions at the end of the day.”
It was poor judgement by Walker, one of the leaders of the Lions defense. After lunging headfirst at Hurts while the quarterback was going into a slide, Walker lost his cool and tried to throw a punch after being shoved in the skirmish that followed.
"I didn't see what I was doing wrong at the time," he said. "As I walked away, I got pushed in the back so I reacted."
The Eagles scored two plays later to extend their lead to 38-21.
It ended what had been a good day for Walker, who left with a sack, a pass defended and a game-high 13 tackles to his name.
"Unacceptable and he knows that," said Dan Campbell. "That’s not OK. And that’s not what we’re looking for because that’s how you get beat."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker