"He’s going to be a superstar," "Trying too hard to be a personality" - NFL fans left divided over Jets' Sauce Gardner mocking Cheeseheads with iconic celebration

By Rit Nanda

Modified Nov 08, 2022 11:49 GMT

As the Green Bay Packers slumped to a defeat at home to the New York Jets, Sauce Gardner was there to rub it in their faces.

Defeating last season's NFC top seed at Lambeau Field is always a fine achievement, even though how much weight it holds this season is debatable. The Packers are now 3-3 and have lost to both the New York teams in consecutive weeks.

Sauce Gardner naturally wanted to enjoy being on the winning side and did not mind breaking into an iconic celebration. After making some ridiculously good plays during the game, he wanted to be at the center of focus after the game and did so by putting a cheese-head on and taunting the Packers fans.

For those unaware, the dairy and cheese industry is inexorably tied to Wisconsin, and the Green Bay Packers fans turn out wearing cheese-heads to support their team. It is one of the more iconic emblems of the Packers along with other things such as Lambeau Leap and their community ownership.

Such an act immediately captured the fans' attention on social media. Some dubbed it provocative and hailed Sauce Gardner, whereas others were noticeably less impressed. Here is a selection of some of the best reactions.

Sauce Gardner lights up the field for the New York Jets against Green Bay Packers

Limiting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to just 10 points is a serious achievement. Sauce Gardner came up with some clutch plays to help his team achieve that.

One play, especially, has garnered attention. In it, he knocked the ball out of a receiver's hands. It is gaining a lot of traction on social media.

Throughout the night, he covered the field and made sure that the pressure was always on the opposition. Of course, he also thought he had got on the scoreboard when he returned an interception for a touchdown.

Unfortunately for him, though, it did not register because after a review, it was found that the ball had hit the turf first before jumping off the receiver's hands.

More than what Gardner did or did not do after the match, the coaching staff and the fans should be worried about why they could not keep him quiet on the field. An opposing team member wearing a cheesehead is the least of their problems right now.

About the author

Rit Nanda is a sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 4 years of experience. A PhD holder, he is passionate about a host of sports, including NFL, CFL, Rugby Union, Rugby League, and Soccer. He lives and breathes the Green Bay Packers, St Helens RFC, Harlequins, and Liverpool.

Rit’s all-time favorite NFL players are Packers’ very own Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Lowe. Vince Lombardi, after whom the Super Bowl trophy is named is his favorite coach. If he ever got his hands on a time machine, he would want to witness the Packers win Super Bowl I, and unsurprisingly, his most favorite Super Bowl is the XLV edition when the Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers 31-25 to lift the trophy.

Rit’s strengths are statistical analysis and historical deep dives, where he uses the learnings from his PhD to conduct thorough research. He verifies facts via multiple sources to maintain accuracy, and believes in being objective in his articles by adding stats wherever possible.

When not writing professionally, Rit spends time in creative writing, reading and travelling.

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