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Watch: CJ Gardner-Johnson has pick 6 for Philadelphia Eagles

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•12/29/24•

On3Keith

CJ Gardner-Johnson
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Gators great CJ Gardner-Johnson has had an up-and-down two-week stretch in the NFL. In a Dec. 22 loss to Washington, the Philadelphia Eagles safety was ejected after being called for multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. But Sunday, he atoned for that.

In a 41-7 win over Dallas, Gardner-Johnson intercepted a pass and took it 69 yards for a touchdown on the Cowboys’ opening possession. Per ESPN.com’s Tim McManus, “Gardner-Johnson jumped a Cooper Rush pass intended for receiver Brandin Cooks, secured the pick and then raced down the right sideline for the score to put Philadelphia up 7-0. It marked Philadelphia’s first defensive touchdown of the season.”

He wasn’t done. Gardner-Johnson, a Cocoa, Fla., native who played at Florida from 2016–18, had a second interception in the game. He returned it 25 yards. That led to an Eagles offensive touchdown in the rout. He also had two pass break-ups in the game.

CJ Gardner-Johnson is having a huge season

For the season, the 27-year old Gardner-Johnson has six interceptions, tying the career-best he recorded with the Eagles in 2022. That gives him 18 career picks in six NFL seasons. He is tied for third this season in the NFL in interceptions and trails the co-leaders by only one. Gardner-Johnson is 28th in total career interceptions among active players.

PhillyVoice.com wrote this about Gardner-Johnson: “Last week, the Eagles lost to the Commanders for two main reasons (no disrespect to Jayden Daniels and his epic performance): Jalen Hurts left in the first quarter with a concussion. And Gardner-Johnson was ejected in the third quarter after his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Eagles’ thinness at the safety position directly contributed to their inability to stop the Washington passing game.

A week later, CJGJ — known around the NFL for both being a ball hawk and one of the league’s most notorious trash talkers — decided to make it up to Eagles fans. His pick-six in the Birds’ first defensive stint in the game helped to give the offense find its sea legs under a backup quarterback. He added a second interception. His sixth of the season (the second most of any NFL player) — and that led to another Eagles touchdown. A total of 14 points off of Gardner-Johnson forced turnovers, not shabby at all.

Gardner-Johnson hobbled off the field with an abdomen in the fourth quarter, and the hopes are it will be a minor one (his return was officially “questionable”).”

For his ejection the previous week, he was fined $45,022.


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