The Saints and Bears met on Sunday in a matchup between likely NFC Playoff squads who both have some offensive issues, and the result was a defensive slugfest many anticipated in a windy, cold Soldier Field.
What few saw coming was the weirdest fight in the NFL this season in which Bears wide receiver Javon Wims walked over to Saints DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson well after the end of a play, tapped him on the chest (or maybe pretended to snatch a non-existent chain) and then threw two sucker punches to Gardner-Johnson’s helmet who was completely confused by the entire interaction before a minor brawl broke out with Saints players tackling Wims to the ground.
bro what!?!!?!??! pic.twitter.com/uvbk7LZ7qB
— Tony X (@soIoucity) November 1, 2020
Wims was tossed and the broadcast eventually found what was the catalyst for the fight, Gardner-Johnson reaching through Anthony Miller’s facemask and poking him on the cheek.
Here’s the sequence…
Looks like Ceedy Duce got a face-poke in on Anthony Miller.
Later on, Javon Wims comes over and essentially suckerpunches Ceedy Duce. He’s ejected.
Troy Aikman: “Uh, that’s just not smart football.”
Next play: Marshon Lattimore interception. #Saints pic.twitter.com/4sZd2e9Knc
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) November 1, 2020
It is easily the weirdest fight you’ll see in the NFL this season if for no other reason than one of the parties involved had no idea he was supposed to be in a fight and seemed utterly confused by the entire situation. Wims, on the other hand, gets ejected and caused Gardner-Johnson absolutely no harm because he punched him in the helmet and facemask, which remains the dumbest football thing that happens so regularly I cannot believe it. The only person that gets possibly feels any pain in that sequence is going to be the person throwing punches, not the one being punched. It is the most “hustling backwards” thing in football, because not only could you hurt your hand (which is an important body part for a wide receiver) but you’re also losing money in the process from the inevitable fine.
If you are going to get in a fight on the football field, at least have the wherewithal to rip the other person’s helmet off like Andre Johnson did to Cortland Finnegan that one time he gave him a two-piece in a Houston-Tennessee game.
At least that way the guy you punch knows about it.