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The New England Patriots eeked out a 25-22, come-from-behind win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Mac Jones and the offense will get some credit for scoring 15 unanswered points in the second half after trailing 22-9, but the defense stiffened to keep the Texans in range. Matthew Judon had a lot to do with New England’s strong defense against the Texans.
He again proved himself to be a menacing pass rusher recording 2 sacks and 2 QB hits on the day. This was the second straight week Judon has stood out and garnered the attention of Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
During the Week 4 Sunday night tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Judon’s play caught Mitchell’s eye. Mitchell, who is obviously not a hardcore football fan, but one who can appreciate effectiveness on the gridiron, tweeted about “dude with the red sleeves.”
Judon saw the tweet and thanked Mitchell for the compliment.
It seems the two have been communicative since the Twitter acquaintance.
On Sunday, we got another “dude with the red sleeves” mention and suddenly this thing has a ring to it.
Judon was definitely “hooping.” His sacks of Davis Mills were arguably the biggest defensive plays of the game for the Patriots. But what about this nickname?
Matt Judon aka “Dude With the Red Sleeves”
I’m imagining Ian Eagle saying, “Dude with the red sleeves aka Matt Judon with another sack,” the next time he calls a Patriots game. For some reason, it has a ring to it.
The red sleeves definitely make Judon stand out on the field. When you group it with the single-number jersey (Judon switched to No. 9 this season), he just looks like a special player on the field.
His teammate Ja’Whaun Bentley has rocked red sleeves at least one game this season, but quite honestly, there should be an unwritten rule barring anyone else on the Patriots’ roster from wearing Judon’s now signature look.
Why Does Judon Wear Red Sleeves?
It doesn’t appear as though the color has any significance beyond it is a part of the Patriots’ look. However, Judon was asked for his reason for wearing sleeves and he explained:
On turf … I just get cut up all the time, I got fragile skin, I guess. … Good skin, It get cut up on turf, so I was like, ‘skip this.’ I can’t be buying new bedsheets every night … Come home, there’s blood all over my bedsheets. So, I started wearing sleeves, and here I wear the red ones.
Whether there is a significance behind it or not, I vote Judon keeps it red and sleeved throughout the season. Judon and the Patriots will be back at home for a major challenge against the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys. “Dude With the Red Sleeves” and Co. will have their hands full trying to get after Dak Prescott and the rest of the Cowboys’ high-powered attack.
At 2-3, the Patriots can ill afford another home loss. Stay tuned for coverage of Cowboys week leading up to Sunday’s game.
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