Trash-talking is all right if you can back it up with action! And CJ Gardner Johnson did just that today. Building up the excitement even before the game started, Lions safety Gardner poked fun at Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. What did he say? That was just about the worst thing he could say. He said that the Buccaneers were without a good quarterback.

However, during the NFC divisional round, Mayfield proved that there was some truth in Gardner’s remarks. Was his early success in tonight’s game a premonition of what was to come?

CJ Gardner’s early humiliation of Mayfield

Less than four minutes into the game, “Ceedy’s got it!” What did Ceedy get? A significant interception thrown by Mayfield landed squarely in his hands. The Lions crowd went off after it happened. The Bucs QB was at the 50-yard line and threw the ball downfield. He was hoping to send it into the hands of one of his teammates. But he didn’t see Gardner standing at the 30-yard line.

He then grabbed the ball and raced 20 yards with it. His run ended when he was forced off-bounds by the opposing team. It turned over the ball in the Lions’ possession. An early win for the team. In that quarter, both teams just scored field goals and ended 3-3. But let’s go back and understand how the entire fiasco even started. And could it have a bearing on this crucial game?

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How it all started

The genesis happened last week. Gardner was just musing about how he dealt with tough receivers such as Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Then he began to talk about his upcoming game against the Bucs. He said even the Bucs had a great group of wideouts. But they could not bring their A-game because of one factor: Baker Mayfield.

“If you give that Tampa group a good quarterback, that’s a great group,” he said. Who were the members of this “great group?” He mentioned Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Russell Gage. Of course, the media also had to get Mayfield’s reaction. He hit back at Gardner. “I don’t think he’s really watched film because he mentioned Russell Gage,” Mayfield said. What was so off about mentioning Russell? He actually hasn’t played at all this season. It was weird of Gardner to mention his name.

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Can Mayfield turn this insult into a motivating factor and win the game for the Bucs?

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