Jahmyr Gibbs had an epic performance on Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He totaled over 200 yards from scrimmage, with 135 yards on the ground and another 82 through the air. His efforts helped the Detroit Lions run away with a 24-9 victory, and fans couldn’t help but chuckle and make quips after watching him skip oxygen following a long, physically demanding rushing score.
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Gibbs has really turned into the player that we all expected him to be coming out of college. His speed is elite, and he can change directions at top speed, which makes him almost impossible to tackle. He showcased this early in the second quarter when he took a handoff right up the gut of the Bucs defense for a 78-yard rushing TD, putting the Lions up 14-0.
For most players, they would’ve needed to catch their breath after running that far. Not to mention, Gibbs reached a top speed of over 22 miles per hour, the third fastest we’ve seen a ball-carrier run this season. So after the TD run, the Lions’ oxygen supply specialist rushed over to Gibbs to give him some air.
However, Gibbs declined the oxygen, as if he weren’t tired at all. Naturally, fans saw this and came up with all sorts of jokes about the funny visual, with many poking fun at the older fellow delivering the oxygen to Gibbs.
“Lol Gibbs was low key offended,” one wrote.
“The guy offering the oxygen should take it,” another joked.
— Semper (@Semper152892) October 21, 2025
Other fans thought that it was a sign that Gibbs isn’t human. “Bro doesn’t need oxygen to live,” the top commenter wrote. “He got that dawg in him, he don’t need oxygen,” another piled on.
It was a hilarious comment section where fans took turns getting their jokes in. But some may genuinely wonder, why are oxygen masks even provided to the players? Well, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
There’s a difference between ambient air and supplemental oxygen. The air that we all breathe every day is ambient and is carried through the bloodstream to our muscles. However, some of that oxygen is used immediately, while other parts of it are stored in our body, breaking down glucose. In turn, it created ATP energy, which is the main energy-carrying molecule in cells.
Supplemental oxygen, like the mask that was provided to Gibbs, can help maximize an athlete’s recovery time and get them back into the action quicker. A few weeks ago, Deebo Samuel was seen taking in oxygen during a game while dealing with an illness. But for Gibbs, he had plenty of time to rest after the score, meaning he could naturally catch his breath without worry.
At the end of the day, though, it was very funny to see the 23-year-old deny the oxygen from the older gentleman. That’s why fans immediately made a meme out of the image. But Gibbs probably didn’t mean to offend anyone and just wanted to breathe in some ambient air to catch his breath rather than supplemental air.