Thanksgiving Day is a time to and celebrate friends and family — but in the NFL, some players have to go to work on a day typically reserved for rest, relaxation, and togetherness.
This was the case for Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens, who had to play Thursday at Ford Field in Detroit against the Lions. And Owens certainly made the most of the Thanksgiving Day showcase, returning a fumble in the first quarter for his first touchdown in pro football — which received quite the reaction from his wife, globally-recognized gymnast Simone Biles.
Biles was overjoyed
Biles, one of the greatest athletes on planet Earth, posted on X (formerly Twitter) almost immediately after Owens scooped up a loose ball and returned it 27 yards to extend the Packers’ first-quarter lead.
Biles’ celebratory post, typed in all caps, celebrated “her man” making the most of the moment and reaching the end zone for the first time in his five-year career.
Biles and Owens were married in April after nearly three years of dating. Biles has enjoyed a sensational 2023 professionally as well as personally — she won her sixth gold medal at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium last month.
Packers lit up Lions in first half
Owens’ Packers made it look easy in the first half of the Thanksgiving game. The Green Bay defense made life uncomfortable for Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who fumbled twice and struggled with his accuracy. The Packers led 23-6 at the break, with Owens’ fumble recovery one of two turnovers the visitors forced in the first two quarters.
The Packers’ execution on offense may have been the most surprising facet to the first half, but Owens’ touchdown will prove to be a memorable moment — and one that Biles, at least, will celebrate long past Thanksgiving’s end.
