A conceptual framework proposes that soil N2O emissions are more likely related to microbial functional gene abundances based on laboratory experiments than in‐situ observations. This framework has largely contributed to reconciling the disputation on linking soil N2O emissions with functional gene abundances, but the direct evidence is lacking. Wei et al. (2023) provided new evidence to support this framework, showing that O2 dynamics were a better predictor of in‐situ soil N2O emissions than were functional gene abundances. Before the observations can inform N2O modeling and support sustainable nitrogen management, however, some additional efforts are needed to revisit the relationships between in‐situ soil N2O emissions and functional gene abundances.