Bad JuJu? Patriots' WR Faces 'Internet Rival' Eagles

Newly-minted New England Patriots receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster unwittingly created a storyline for his first game with his new team against an old, familiar foe in the Philadelphia Eagles.

A lack of love on Valentine's Day might come back to haunt JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Set to make his New England Patriots debut on Sunday at Gillette Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), the imported receiver may be forced to make amends for one of his most public pre-Foxborough sins. Sunday will mark Smith-Schuster's second official consecutive get-together with the Eagles, having previously done battle against The City of Brotherly Love's green as a Kansas City Chief in February's staging of Super Bowl LVII.

USA TODAY SPORTS

That 38-35 Chiefs victory will likely be best remembered for its ending, namely the defensive holding penalty call against Eagles defender James Bradberry, drawn by Smith-Schuster. The infraction allowed Kansas City to run out the necessary time for a short game-winning field goal that would give them the permanent lead and leave no time left for an adequate Philadelphia response. 

Super Bowl LVII was held on Feb. 12, two days before Valentine's Day. With the controversial penalty still fresh in the nation's mind, Smith-Schuster's X (then-Twitter) account shared a mock holiday card that appeared on several NFL meme pages, which featured a picture of Bradberry accompanied by the caption "Ill hold you when it matters most." 

Smith-Schuster, whose social media antics in prior stops in Pittsburgh and Kansas City have proven polarizing, later referenced the penalty in a bizarre sketch with internet personality Brenden "Coach 30" Clinton. 

Film session w/ Coach 30 - #KansasCityChiefs vs. #PhiladelphiaEagles #SuperBowlLVII pic.twitter.com/dXhZZXcL1n

— Brenden Clinton (@MrGo30) March 1, 2023

Both posts drew the ire of prominent Eagles: receiver A.J. Brown facetiously credited Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for resurrecting Smith-Schuster's career and cornerback Darius Slay referred to his activity as "lame af!!!"

Smith-Schuster seemed keen to leave the past in the past as the hours dwindle before the Eagles' visit, which will obviously be the first time he's faced Philadelphia since hitting "send" on those posts.

“Well, I have no choice but to see them, so I can’t really say if I want to not see them,” Smith-Schuster said, per Zach Cox of NESN. “But that was in the past. Yeah, at the time, that was what I said, what I did, but that’s in the past. I’m here with a whole new team, whole new system, super excited just to go out there and just play and compete against some of these guys."

Smith-Schuster did seem grateful to immediately get the matchup with the Eagles out of the way ... but only because he feels it'll be a good challenge for a developing New England offense showcasing new faces in prominent roles.

“You talk about Slay, you talk about Bradberry, these guys played in the Super Bowl last year," Smith-Schuster said. "There’s a reason why this defense is really good. So it’s nice for us, our first game, to go out here and put ourselves in a challenge where we’re playing against a really good team.”

Set to start his seventh NFL campaign, Smith-Schuster earned 53 yards on seven receptions in the Super Bowl against the Eagles, capping off a year that him put up 933 yards in the regular season, his best tally since 2018 in Pittsburgh. He'll be expected to take on a good part of the Patriots' aerial slack with last year's top target, Jakobi Meyers, now residing in Las Vegas.