Buccaneers’ Jalen McMillan not impressed by bird on field: ‘I hate ducks’

Sunday’s NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was fairly unmemorable except for a special intruder who made their way onto the field during a pivotal moment.

“There is a bird on the field,” said CBS announcer Ian Eagle as Carolina lined up to punt while down 34-14 in the third quarter and a duck landed nearby. Turns out that the avian spectator was a harbinger of things to come as the Buccaneers blocked a punt and returned it for a score on the very next play.

Ian Eagle, a duck, and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. Panthers-Bucs has it all. pic.twitter.com/xqWdpUSkMr

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 29, 2024

“We’re probably gonna get a penalty. Too many birds on the field,” said Eagle later as an official attempted to remove the duck from the field.

After the game, Tampa Bay rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan was asked what he thought of the duck landing on the field. Even though the Buccaneers ended up winning the game, he did not see it as a good luck charm.

I asked Bucs rookie WR and former Washington standout Jalen McMillan about the duck that flew onto the field before the Bucs blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown:

“It was one of the bad moments of the game. Ducks aren’t good luck, they’re weird. I hate ducks” 😂 pic.twitter.com/bOp01qKvPQ

— Kenny Morales (@KennyMoralesTV) December 30, 2024

“I don’t like it,” McMillan told a gaggle of reporters. “It was one of the bad moments of the game, you know, just the duck landing on the field. Ducks aren’t good luck, they’re weird. I hate ducks, man.”

Now, it’s worth considering that McMillan played for the Washington Huskies before coming to the NFL. Their most hated rival? The Oregon Ducks.

Duck or no duck, the rookie wideout currently has 32 catches for 387 yards and seven touchdowns while Tampa controls its own destiny with a chance to get into the playoffs next weekend.

[Kenny Morales]