Donovan Mitchell didn’t know who Matt Judon was before Sunday night, but he does now.
The Utah Jazz guard was among the millions who tuned in to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. One player who stood out for Mitchell: Judon, whose long red sleeves and sack celebration quickly have become trademarks for the Patriots linebacker.
“Dude wit the red sleeves on the Pats came to play,” Mitchell tweeted along with a couple of laughing emojis.
“Thank you fam,” Judon replied.
Judon has the potential to develop into a Patriots fan favorite.
His social media presence and no-nonsense attitude both work in his favor. So, too, does his performance in New England’s defense.
In the loss to the Bucs, Judon registered one sack, one quarterback hit, three hurries, three run stops and three tackles for loss, per Pro Football Focus. The veteran linebacker also was responsible for five of the Patriots’ 11 pressures on Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady.
He and the Patriots will visit the Houston Texans on Sunday. As for Mitchell, his Jazz will kick off their NBA preseason schedule Monday night when they visit the San Antonio Spurs.
