Tweet
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfieldand Lions defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson saw their off-field feud carry onto the field as they met in the divisional round of the 2024 NFL playoffs on Sunday.Gardner-Johnson won the first on-field battle between the two early in the first quarter. He intercepted Mayfield on Tampa Bay's first po se sion after Mike Evans tipped a pa s from Marcus Stroman Jersey the Buccaneers quarterback into the air.Gardner-Johnson came down with the tip and managed to log a nifty, 12-yard return to get the ball into Tampa Bay territory. At the end of the play, he flipped the ball in Mayfield's direction, a subtle reminder Travis D'Arnaud Jersey of the barbs they had traded during media availabilities throughout the week.Tipped and picked by CJ Gardner-Johnson!: on NBC: Stream on NFL (@NFL) Of course, it's worth noting that the interception wasn't entirely Mayfield's fault. The throw came in a little high, but Evans still had a chance to come down with it.FOLLOW LIVE:Still, Gardner-Johnson's celebration indicates that he is eager to showcase his skillset and prove that he was on the right end of the duo's mini-quarrel.Mayfield and Gardner-Johnson traded barbs in news conferences in the week leading up to the Lions vs. Buccaneers contest.It all started when Gardner Mike Piazza Jersey -Johnson took a shot at Mayfield in his analysis of the Buccaneers."If you give that Tampa group a good quarterback, that's a great group," Gardner-Johnson said, per . " Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Ru sell Gage, that's a great group. I played against them for real."Naturally, Mayfield didn't take kindly to Gardner-Johnson's a se sment. He hit back against the defensive back by noting that he "didn't think Gardner-Johnson has really watched film," as Gage has been out for the whole season with a knee injury."He must be going off of preseason stuff that the media was talking about," Mayfield said, per . "I'm excited to see him. I think he's a really good player. He has been for a while. He's been an impactful guy on every team he's been on. So, he's a good player, but yeah ... just got to do a little bit more film study."MORE:It's worth noting that Gardner-Johnson mi sed New York Mets Custom Jersey most of the 2023 NFL season after suffering a torn pectoral in Week 2. Many Jason Vargas Jersey presumed that he was out for the season at that time, so it's po sible that he could have been behind on film study as he spent time aggre sively rehabbing to get back on the field.Regardle s, that trash talk certainly added an extra layer to the battle between Tampa Bay's offense and Detroit's defense.However, at least on the first po se sion, the Lions emerged as the winner on that side of the ball, putting a feather in the cap of Gardner-Johnson.