‘Just trying to be a legend’ – Justin Jefferson of the Vikings takes the Randy Moss channel with a great match against rival Packers

MINNEAPOLIS – Before the end of the first quarter on Sunday, Minnesota‘NS Justin Jefferson scored 100 yards get against Green Bay.

At the end of a back-and-forth match between rivals NFC North, the Vikings’ receiver dramatically helped his team regain 0.5 points for the second time this season. Win 34-31.

Jefferson burst on to the Packers with eight catches from 169 yards and two touchdowns, following a Week 10 performance against the team Los Angeles charger in which he caught nine passes 143 yards long. He now has 11 100-yard games in his career, surpassing Randy Moss and Juju Smith-Schuster for the second most in his first two seasons by a player since the 1970 merger.

“I told them I wouldn’t leave here today without going to the end,” said Jefferson. “So glad I got in there twice. I told them to throw it to any of us. We were confident enough to catch up, create a big play for the team and me. feel like we’ve done a lot of it today.”

Jefferson didn’t reach the final area until the second half of Sunday but was responsible for setting up two early touchdowns. On his third catch of the game, he received a 56-yard relay down the line and Dalvin Cook punched in a rushed 1-yard touchdown the next inning to give the Vikings a 9-3 lead.

In Minnesota’s next game in the second half, Jefferson hit a barrier free-kick that cleared a 37-yard defensive pass to a deep ball that sent the Vikings moving from their 39-yard line to their 24-yard line. Green Bay. The Vikings caught another break three innings later when a Kirk Cousin The passer’s interception was nullified by a rough tackle by the passer on a ball destined for Jefferson. Three plays later, Adam Thielen found the end zone to bring Vikings to 16-3.

Jefferson’s first encounter came in the third quarter with recipients lined up in the backyard. He caught TD 9 yards off an optional line, a play Jefferson said he ran at LSU. It was the first reception of his career from the backyard in the NFL.

“Everybody knows he’s not there for protection,” coach Mike Zimmer joked after the game.

Jefferson’s second score helped the Vikings regain the lead from Green Bay when he caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the fourth half. After successfully converting a two-point effort with Cook, Minnesota took a 31-24 lead only to find the game tied shortly afterwards as the Packers kicked in midfield. Aaron Rodgers fight Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 75-yard touchdown in the first play of Green Bay’s next game.

Including Sunday’s game – arrived Greg Joseph scored the winner on the 29-yard field to give Minnesota the win – the Vikings had five games where the winning score was in the last inning. According to Elias, that’s most relevant to 10 games since the 1970 merger.

“That’s why we’re in a competitive position,” Cook said. “I’ve been coming to learn about this rivalry ever since I came here. It’s special. There’s a relationship. We want to win, knowing what kind of atmosphere it is, it’s fun. Turn away. back, we want the ball in our hands.”

Green Bay’s defense learned a hard lesson on Sunday: Playing a light cover against Jefferson won’t cut that.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Jefferson faced coverage (where defenders lined up more than 5 meters from the receiver’s pre-crack) two-thirds of the time during the game against Green Bay and produced 139 meters of receive. , the second most for any recipient in a game match this season.

In general, Green Bay’s defense could not slow down Viking attacks. Minnesota’s receiver caught 69% of the target in 277 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Jefferson and Thielen combined to capture 16 of their 20 goals. This comes after the Packers entered the day allowing the lowest completion rate for wide receivers (56%) in the NFL.

Minnesota’s offensive identity found fierceness increased from the Chargers win to the Green Bay game and saw Cousins ​​averaging 9.7 yards per pass in a single day he threw 341 yards and three touchdowns with a 128.4 passer rating.

“Certainly we have been quite active the last few weeks and we will have to see week after week and game by game, moment by moment how we choose to attack, but for sure we feel happy about who we can pitch and that goes beyond Justin and Adam,” Cousins ​​said. “KJ [Osborn], Tyler Conklin and Dalvin and Alex [Mattison] – There are many products for throwing soccer there. “

Cousins ​​had one of his best games of the season en route to Minnesota’s biggest win of the season. According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, the midfielder made 131 yards and two touchdowns when under pressure, his second most and tied for the most touches while under pressure in any game. any victory in his career, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

During her pregnancy, Jefferson wore a t-shirt to pay homage to Moss, the legendary “receiver”. After toppling Moss’ rookie records a year ago, Jefferson looks set to set a weekly record while being the catalyst that gets his team back into position for one of the last two places in the round. NFC knockout.

“That’s the kind of mindset I have, too, just trying to be a legend,” said Jefferson. “Trying to make big plays. Why not go after him? He’s one of the best in the game. I just love playing games, love competition and love big games. this paralysis.”