C.J. Gardner-Johnson has once again proven his worth for the New Orleans Saints as a player and talker. Gardner-Johnson once again removed for a Chicago Bears receiver removed from a game due to an unsportsmanlike penalty. The Bears prepared for Gardner-Johnson’s annoyances but was still not able to resist it. The defense for the Saints was dominant with the help of Gardner-Johnson during plays. Between plays, getting Anthony Miller to fall for his taunting. Gardner-Johnson’s worth as a player and a talker for the New Orleans Saints benefits the team as they look to go through the playoffs.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Player and Talker Gives New Orleans Saints the Advantages
During plays, C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a great asset at safety for the New Orlean Saints. He played 98% of the defensive snaps, getting eight total tackles on the game. This was the most tackles by any single Saints player for the whole game. The Saints secondary held Mitchell Trubisky to under 200 yards passing and only 19 completions. The Saints defense only surrendered eight first downs to Trubisky and the Chicago passing offense. Some of the Saints fortunes can be attributed to a drop by Javon Wims after beating Gardner-Johnson on a deep route. Contribute the pressure on Wims to being a playoff game and the desire to make amends for his past history with Gardner-Johnson.
Gardner-Johnson Talking Leads to Advantages
C.J. Gardner-Johnson first made his mark against the Bears receiver Javon Wims. The Bears and Saints faced earlier this season. After a play in their first matchup, Wims took a shot at the helmet of Gardner-Johnson. Wims was ejected from the game due to his unsportsmanlike penalty. It was revealed through some earlier angles that Gardner-Johnson had been pestering Wims most of the game, causing Wims to lose his temper and be ejected. A very similar event happened in this week’s wild-card game.
Anthony Miller and the Chicago Bears prepared for the talking of Gardner-Johnson according to Jeff Dickerson. Apparently, this preparation was not enough. After an incompletion from Trubisky to Javon Wims early in the third quarter, Anthony Miller took a shot at the helmet of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called on both players but the major fault was done to Miller. Miller’s penalty led to him being disqualified for the rest of the game. The Saints would go on to score two more touchdowns in the second half. Without his full complement of receivers, Trubisky and the Bears were unable to come back from this deficit.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Player and Talker
If C.J. Gardner-Johnson keeps on this pace, he might become known as the Conor McGregor of the NFL. McGregor is a UFC stalwart and known to be one of the best talkers in all of sports. McGregor gains a tactical advantage in fights by using his mouth to agitate the opposition. Gardner-Johnson is doing the same in the NFL. Both use their ability to talk in order to make their opponents make mistakes and then take advantage of these mistakes. These mistakes lead to advantages for the Saints. Gardner-Johnson continues to prove his worth as a player and talker for the New Orleans Saints.
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