The Houston Texans finally got their revenge, and they did it in style. After losing six straight to the Ravens, they absolutely steamrolled Baltimore 44-10. But the game wasn’t without controversy. Rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel found the end zone for the first time in his career and decided to celebrate with the Ray Lewis squirrel dance. Ravens fans were furious. And apparently, so was the Texans’ front office.

Speaking on Sports 610 Radio, Texans GM Nick Caserio made it clear that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. “We want the players to be excited when they score,” Caserio said.

“I would say discretion sometimes is the better part of valor. I mean, I love J. Noel. But that was an asinine move. So, hopefully, he can come up with a different dance [laughs] next time. I wonder if he even knows who Ray Lewis was,” he added.

Especially considering how quiet his start to the season had been. Through four games, Noel had only 3 catches for 9 yards. The Ravens game changed that. He posted a career-high across the board with 2 catches for 13 yards and his first-ever touchdown, plus one rush for 5 yards. As for the celebration, the rookie was ultimately following his coach’s instructions.

“I actually watched it last night,” Noel said after the win, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. “[Head coach DeMeco Ryans] was saying we need something if we get into the end zone, so I watched that last night and I was able to do it today.”

Noel was just 10 years old when Lewis retired after spending his 17-year NFL career with the Ravens. So it’s quite likely that he wasn’t too familiar with who Lewis was and what he meant.

And perhaps that should’ve been reason enough for him to pick a Texans legend’s celebration instead. But alas…

The Ravens’ faithful didn’t go easy on Jaylin Noel

The move instantly turned him into public enemy No. 1 for Ravens fans. And they didn’t hold back online. After the game, Noel posted a picture of his touchdown ball on X, proud of his big moment. And you just know it was flooded with the Ravens fans’ replies. “Reminds me when that other random practice squad WR disrespected the Ravens in 19. You still a nobody 😂,” one fan wrote.

And honestly, you can’t blame them. Ray Lewis has been the Ravens for an entire generation of fans. Seventeen seasons, over 2,000 tackles, two Super Bowls, a Hall of Fame career. So when an opposition rookie mocks his signature move in their stadium, yeah, that’s going to sting.

Even the Ravens players weren’t having it. Cornerback Jaire Alexander made that clear when Noel tried to retrieve his touchdown ball for keeps. Alexander wasn’t letting that happen.

“I didn’t appreciate that while I was on the field,” Alexander said after the game. “Then I saw him toss the ball to the ballboy, and he tried to get it back. So it was just like, ‘Naw, you ain’t gettin’ the ball back.’ And they got mad.”

You sure could look at this from both sides. But there’s one thing for sure: Noel isn’t getting a warm welcome every year he steps into the M&T Bank Stadium. And we all know how heated that atmosphere can get.