There was enough imitating on the football field to make Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins feel like a legit rivalry.
First, there was Dolphins defensive end Christian Wilkins stealing Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon’s taunt after laying out quarterback Mac Jones with a sack.
And then Barmore returned the favor by “Waddling” after sacking Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson late in the fourth quarter. That celebration belongs to Dolphins receiver and Barmore’s former teammate from the University of Alabama, Jaylen Waddle. It’s the same celebration Waddle and Dolphins fans used against the Patriots in the season-opening loss at Miami.
🐧🐧🐧@chris_barmore #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/Y5HhCw91vM
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 1, 2023
Barmore admitted Waddle knew the taunt was coming the moment he made a big play in the game.
“We was talking smack to each other. That’s my guy. We played together in college for a minute,” said Barmore, via Mass Live’s Chris Mason. “It was talking smack… I said ‘I’m going to hit your celebration.’ He was like ‘all right, all right’ And I told him I was going to hit it — and I hit it.”
On a quiet night from the Patriots’ two best pass-rushers, Judon and Josh Uche, Barmore was the one that stepped at as a disruptive force on defense. He finished the game with three tackles, including four quarterback hits, one tackle for a loss and one sack.
The Patriots can only hope there’s more “Waddling” to come from Barmore in the future against a Dolphins team that has haunted them for years.
