Detroit Lions’ defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will miss his team’s next two games after the appeal for his suspension for the Stomp Heard Round the World on Thanksgiving.
So, to recap, the Suh Stomp happened on a sequence when the Lions were about to get the Green Bay Packer offense off the field in an at-that-time close game, which got him immediately ejected and banned from the next two games, which Detroit will most definitely need to have a realistic shot at an NFC Wild Card spot. This means that Suh’s boneheaded act could have not only cost the Lions 3-4 games (the loss to the Packers was a division game, even though Detroit wasn’t catching the undefeated Pack anyway), but the season if they don’t gain anymore ground on the Atlanta Falcons – who hold the tiebreaker over Detroit after beating them earlier this season.
A large factor that most likely went into the decision to not only suspend Suh but uphold the initial ruling is the fact that Suh has accumulated the most personal foul penalities in the NFL in his almost two-year career. Despite repeated warnings from the league and multiple meetings with commissioner Roger Goodell to defend his style of play, Ndamukung still falls victim to snap decisions on the field that only deepen his reputation as a dirty player. His postgame statement that he was trying to walk away from the Green Bay OL would have humorous if not for how insulting to the public’s intelligence it was.
The declination of Suh’s appeal adds to a year that has seen the Pro Bowler gain more notoriety on and outside the field, even while his play on the field has arguably dropped off from his outstanding rookie season. He’s only registered three sacks in 11 games this season and, even though he’s faced more double teams in 2011, there’s been a few games where his impact has been minimal at best.