SI

Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Immediately Rubbed INT in Baker Mayfield’s Face With Petty Move

The Lions DB kept things petty with Mayfield after trash-talking him.

Tim Capurso

Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Immediately Rubbed INT in Baker Mayfield’s Face With Petty Move
Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson Immediately Rubbed INT in Baker Mayfield’s Face With Petty Move /
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Detroit Lions defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson wasted no time letting Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield know he had just made a play on him. 

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, as he’s more commonly known, and Mayfield traded words in the lead-up to the Lions-Buccaneers clash in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday, with the former shading the latter by saying Tampa Bay would be “great” if they had a “good QB.” The Buccaneers’ signal-caller fired back by saying he didn't think the Lions defender has "watched film." 

Well, Gardner-Johnson put his money where his mouth is early on in the Lions-Buccaneers game, as he intercepted a Mayfield pass in the first quarter, then rubbed it in the Tampa Bay QB’s face immediately after, flipping the ball back to him in a disrespectful move. 

Here's the play by Gardner-Johnson, who was in the right place at the right time. 

And here's a closer look at the petty move by Gardner-Johnson, who clearly didn't forget what Mayfield had said. 

Gardner-Johnson missed much of the Lions’ stellar season after tearing a pectoral muscle in Week 2. But the Cocoa, Fla., native, who recorded six interceptions a year ago with the Philadelphia Eagles, can be a difference-maker when healthy. 

Or when he’s trash-talked. 

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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