This week, the New York Giants' creative media team got to work on a video to announce the team's full 2025 schedule.
Most teams, the Giants included, try to poke fun at their opponents in these videos through references to their players, fans, memorable moments or a combination of it all. The ultimate goal, outside of revealing their season worth of games, is to drive internet engagement and generate viral buzz.
With that in mind, New York took the pop culture route in announcing their 18-week slate in a reality TV dating show format.
The Giants introduced their opponents in order through characters (or contestants) that put the teams' biggest fan stereotypes on blast in a "speed dating" display.
For NFC East rivals like the Washington Commanders, they were most susceptible to this viral banter. The video saw the Commanders fan introduce himself, but left fans questioning what to call him.
"You can call me Bob, Robert, Bobby, it’s OK,” the character said, seemingly referencing the Commanders' name changes over the last handful of years.
The end of his bit struck fans with a surprise reference, not to a Washington player or coach ... but to their mom.
"Yeah, don’t tell my mom I’m here, OK?” the fan portrayal said.
This is likely a dig at the Commanders' young phenom Jayden Daniels' mother Regina Jackson for her close involvement in the quarterback's personal and professional life.
Jackson has grown from being Daniels' loving caretaker to his professional representation as a certified NFLPA agent. She owns multiple master's degrees and has become something of an internet sensation with how strict she appears with those close to Jayden.
The most viral clip of this type of interaction is from when Daniels was spotted at a basketball game sitting with college hoops star JuJu Watkins.
The two young athletes were sitting shoulder to shoulder, laughing and blushing as they enjoyed the game together ... that was until mama bear stepped in.
A few minutes later the camera pans back to their row and Jackson is seated smack dab in the middle of Jayden and JuJu, blocking any interaction they might've been having.
So long as she can help it, Jackson won't let anything get in the way of her boy's success as a professional athlete - on or off the field.
“I’m putting it on record. My son can date, he can live freely, make his own decisions,” Jackson said on “The Pivot” podcast on Mother’s Day. “However, with the relationship we have, he does value my opinion because when my kids were little, I did a lot for them and my kids saw that.”
So far, she's doing a pretty good job at this "motherly management" thing.
Daniels is poised to lead the Commanders back into the spotlight this season with a plethora of primetime games and sights set on another NFC championship game appearance.
Jackson will be along for the ride every step of the way. Mother always knows best, of course.
Washington will have their first crack at getting the last laugh over the Giants on Week 1 in the nation's capital. The two rivals will meet again in Week 15 in the Big Apple.
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