Things are already getting a bit touchy between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions ahead of Sunday’s NFC Divisional matchup.
Lions defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson started things off by praising the Buccaneers wide receiver group, but he did so while taking a clear shot at quarterback Baker Mayfield.
“This group probably is one of the better groups we done faced all year, besides that Tampa group,” Gardner-Johnson said while the Lions were preparing for the Los Angeles Rams, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “If you give that Tampa group a good quarterback, that’s a great group. (Mike) Evans, (Chris) Godwin, (Russell) Gage, that’s a great group. I played against them for real.”
The Lions did play the Buccaneers in Week 6, though Gardner-Johnson missed that game due to injury. So did Gage, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason and has not played a snap all year.
Mayfield was quick to point that out when he addressed Gardner-Johnson’s disrespectful comment.