Kerby Joseph states case for defensive player of year in Lions’ tuneup for Vikings

Go ahead, knock the Lions’ injury-depleted defense for allowing 475 yards, 34 points and a career-high 377 passing yards to the 49ers’ Brock Purdy. Detroit can still build a winning identity out of the ultimate complementary-football attribute, getting takeaways. Kerby Joseph and the Lions proved it Monday night in a 40-34 shootout win.

Joseph also proved he’s a legitimate candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The Lions (14-2) cashed in Joseph’s two interceptions for 14 combined points at San Francisco (6-10) and Joseph captured the NFL lead with his ninth interception, two better than the second-ranked player, Xavier McKinney. Joseph had only eight combined over his first two years in the league. And for one night, he was happy to obliterate the ghosts of a narrow loss in last season’s NFC Championship Game.

“I really wanted that get-back,” Joseph told Eric Woodyard after the win. “I feel like we came in here last year and they beat us, so I still had that chip on my shoulder from last year. Like they say in the media, this game didn’t really mean much, but this game meant a lot. I feel like we were so close, and we came up short so the feeling just to come back out here to San Fran and come back and get a win. I know we started off slow on defense, but we were able to finish.”

Ironically, evoking painful memories for former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman calling the game for ESPN, Joseph also broke out the celebration made famous by Merton Hanks. The former 49ers DB picked off Aikman three times – twice in a 1994 game. Hanks played a pivotal role on that 1994 San Francisco defense that complemented Steve Young on the way to a Super Bowl victory, and the Defensive Player of the Year that season was 49ers cornerback Deion Sanders.

Joseph isn’t just a legitimate candidate for that award this season because he has the most interceptions by a Lions player in four decades. He’s also a major reason why Kevin O’Connell and the aggressive Vikings on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) and opponents in the NFC playoffs should privately respect the Lions, even though they’ve surrendered yards and points of late.

Detroit is tied for third in the league with 16 interceptions, tied for fourth with a plus-10 turnover margin and tied for sixth with 88 points off turnovers. The Lions’ defense also leads the league in third-down defense, allowing conversions on only 33.14 percent of opponents’ third-down snaps.

So, don’t be surprised to see Minnesota move the ball on the Lions. And don’t be surprised if the Lions find a way to escape with another shootout win.

Detroit is looking to secure the No. 1 seed in its conference for the first time in franchise history. The Lions, one of four franchises without a Super Bowl appearance, also might be the first team since that 1994 San Francisco club with an offense that sells tickets and a defense that wins championships.

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