MINNEAPOLIS — The ties that bind a rich and proud lineage of No. 1 receivers to wear Vikings horns on their helmets extend beyond the razor-sharp routes and the vacuums for hands.
For some of the best receivers who have ever played, the show didn’t stop when the Vikings defense was on the field. Randy Moss would bounce on the balls of his feet, proclaiming to anyone within earshot that “84 don’t stretch on game days. I come ready.” Cris Carter would hunt down his quarterback and give him a piece of his mind when the ball wasn’t coming his way often enough. Stefon Diggs would prowl like a cheetah, waiting for the next chance to attack a defenseless DB.
Justin Jefferson, however, is so much quieter. During the tensest moments of a game, while he waits for the offense to get another chance, Jefferson isn’t talking trash to the opposite sideline. He isn’t hollering at Kirk Cousins to throw him the damn ball. When Jefferson is trying to summon the sensational, when his offense is seemingly backed into a corner like it was against the New York Jets on Sunday, Jefferson sits on the bench and rocks. Back and forth, back and forth.
Some receivers seek out conflict. They crave the confrontation and occasionally see disrespect even when none is intended as a means of motivating them to make the big play. Jefferson tries to calm his mind and conserve his energy while chaos is happening all around him, and the method he uses brings him back to his childhood, to the moments he was challenged, and the person who made it all go away.
“My mama used to rock me when I was a little kid, so it’s comforting,” Jefferson said. “I like it. I just do it when I’m sitting there. I guess it’s a habit.”
And there he was on Sunday against a ferocious Jets defense that was in Cousins’ face from the very first snap, rocking back and forth on the bench while he waited for another turn. A showdown with Sauce Gardner and the young, fast and physical New York secondary was living up to its billing, and the Vikings were searching for answers.
So he rocked, back and forth. Back and forth. Jefferson knows all eyes are on him when he is on the field, but he was caught off guard when The Athletic asked him about his actions on the sideline after a hard-fought, 27-22 win over the Jets that lifted the Vikings to 10-2.
“Why you watching me, man?” Jefferson said with a laugh.
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the NFL week — “JJettas” against the Jets — it was impossible to take your eyes off him.
When the game began, everyone was gearing up for Jefferson versus Gardner, and the two lined up against each other 14 times. But the competition was so much bigger. It was Jefferson, Cousins and Kevin O’Connell jumping into the octagon against Gardner, D.J. Reed and Robert Saleh, each fighter swinging until he couldn’t lift his arms.
“I know he got the one touchdown. Really nice route by him,” Saleh, the Jets’ defensive guru of a head coach, said of Jefferson. “But I felt like we kept his explosives to a minimum. But we just weren’t good enough in the red zone on both sides of the ball.”
The Jets held Jefferson to seven catches for 45 yards, his third-lowest output of the season. But all he needed was one big punch, and he delivered it when it mattered most.
When Elaine Jefferson rocked Justin as a boy, it was a pledge of support. When Jefferson rocks in his sideline seat, it is a warning of what is to come.
GO DEEPER
What's behind Vikings' unrelenting confidence as they beat Jets, improve to 10-2?
Round 1
The Jets brought the NFL’s fourth-ranked defense into U.S. Bank Stadium, a physical, nasty unit that had only allowed only one opponent to top 20 points in a game in the last two months. From the opening snap, the Jets let the Vikings know they were not here to mess around.
The Vikings thought they were in business when Harrison Smith intercepted a tipped ball and gave Minnesota the ball in Jets territory. But New York’s defense held the Vikings to one first down and three points in the first two drives, getting into Cousins’ face with pressure right away. With left tackle Christian Darrisaw out with a concussion, Cousins was under siege from the start, including on a bootleg on the second play of the game. Gardner covered Jefferson one-on-one on second down, and Cousins was forced to throw the ball away.
On the second series, Gardner drew Jefferson on third-and-3. Jefferson cleared him out to try to create an opening for Adam Thielen near the sideline, but Cousins made an errant throw and the Vikings were forced to punt.
Judges: 10-9, Jets.
Eyes on Jefferson: He was calm after the first two drives, walking coolly back to the sideline, setting his helmet on a table behind the bench and grabbing a seat between Thielen and K.J. Osborn. He knew this game wasn’t going to be easy, so he remained patient and waited for his next chance.
Jefferson: “They’re a good defense. We knew that coming into the game. We knew their D-line was tough. We knew Kirk was going to be pressured a little bit.”
Round 2
Jefferson saw a lot more of Gardner on the Vikings’ third possession, lining up on the right side of the formation seven times on the 14-play drive. His first catch came on a 4-yard curl in which he bobbled the ball but held on for a first down on third-and-2. He drew two holding penalties on the drive, the first on Reed and then one on Gardner when the rookie wrapped his arms around Jefferson when he got crossed up on the route. Gardner also forced an errant Cousins pass with tight coverage on Jefferson.
On third-and-5 from the Jets 19, Gardner was in press coverage on Jefferson, but the receiver surged up the field, initiated contact with Gardner by putting a shoulder into his chest like a basketball center bullying his way to the basket in the post, then cut to the inside for a 10-yard reception. Jefferson took a big hit from safety Jordan Whitehead but popped right up and gave his signature first-down signal. Dalvin Cook finished the drive with a 4-yard score to give Minnesota a 10-3 lead in the second quarter.
Judges: 10-9, Vikings.
Eyes on Jefferson: After Cook scored, Jefferson waited for him at the 5-yard line, dapped him up and calmly walked back to the bench, sharing a word with O’Connell as he reached the sideline.
Jefferson: “My best attribute is route running, so whenever I get those man-to-man, I think I’m going to win. I know I’m going to win. Whenever they are holding and stuff like that, I try my best to make it look known and still try to go out there and catch the ball. We like the matchups. We like the one-on-one and we’re just going to keep eating off that.”
Round 3
Jefferson started lining up more often on the left side of the formation, which was Reed’s side of the field. He caught a short slant from the right slot, where he was covered by Michael Carter II and hit hard again by Whitehead. Again he popped back up and signaled the first down. Cousins hit Jalen Reagor for 38 yards, and Jefferson added a quick 5-yard slant.
On third-and-7 from the Jets 21, Jefferson ran a deep crossing pattern against Gardner, drawing attention away from T.J. Hockenson on the shallower route, which opened up a connection with Cousins to keep the drive alive. Alexander Mattison capped the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to put the Vikings up 17-3 late in the second quarter.
Judges: 10-9, Vikings.
Eyes on Jefferson: The Jets were on offense and faced a third-and-7 with 2:17 left in the first half, and Jefferson looked at Thielen in an animated conversation on the bench. The Vikings defense got the stop, and Jefferson slowly rose from his sideline seat, walked around the bench and grabbed his helmet. Center Garrett Bradbury, cornerback Patrick Peterson and receivers coach Keenan McCardell sought Jefferson out, patting him on the shoulder and urging him to keep it up.
Jefferson: “It’s all about the trust. Kirk having the trust to stay in that pocket and launch me the ball, and me just having that confidence, seeing the defender coming to hit me and still making that grab. It’s something that we both work on, and we’ve just gotta keep eating on those and keep having that connection.”
Round 4
From late in the second quarter through the third, the Jets started to land some body blows. On the final field goal drive before the half that put the Vikings up 20-3, Jefferson lined up against Gardner twice, including on third-and-3 from the Jets 23. Gardner was in press coverage, Jefferson ran a crossing route and believed he had him beat, but Cousins was under duress and threw the ball to Thielen, who couldn’t quite haul in a high pass.
The Vikings went three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter, and then, on their next possession, Jefferson sprang open over the middle against Brandin Echols. In an extremely rare sight, Jefferson dropped a good pass from Cousins, perhaps a sign that the Jets defense was, at minimum, starting to get into his head a little bit.
The Jets kicked two field goals and held Minnesota scoreless in the third quarter to make the score 20-12. Gardner and Reed were running with Jefferson stride for stride, and the Jets front was hitting Cousins almost every time he dropped back.
Judges: 10-9, Jets.
Eyes on Jefferson: The frustration was evident after the drop. At that point, he had six catches for a mere 35 yards, and the Vikings offense was sputtering. He trotted off the field, had a quick chat with O’Connell and then put both hands on his helmet like he was white-knuckling a steering wheel while driving through a Minnesota snowstorm. He threw his arms up in disbelief and crouched as he growled in frustration.
Jefferson on the drop: “Tough. I hate it. It’s going to haunt me tonight thinking about it, watching it. But I’m human. It happens sometimes. But it’s definitely something I wish I had back.”
Jefferson sat down and started to rock. Jets quarterback Mike White hit Garrett Wilson for 60 yards, and Jefferson just sat on the bench rocking. White hit Zonovan Knight for a yard, and Jefferson was still rocking. Greg Zuerlein knocked a field goal through to make it 20-15 early in the fourth quarter, and Jefferson just kept rocking in his seat. Linebacker Brian Asamoah came over to dap him up, as did Peterson. Cornerback Duke Shelley had a spirited conversation with Peterson, who was sitting right next to Jefferson. The receiver was unfazed, staring off into the distance and rocking.
Round 5
The Jets had the Vikings offense on its heels, but Minnesota roared back down the field in six plays, setting up the most important play of the game to that point. On third-and-6 from the Jets 10-yard line, Saleh unveiled a look the Vikings had not seen all day.
Gardner lined up on the left side of the Vikings formation. The Jets sent him over there in anticipation of Jefferson being on that side of the field. Jefferson went left on 28 of his snaps on Sunday and went right — the side that Gardner almost always occupies — 21 times.
Gardner: “In the red zone I’d go to the boundary because that’s … usually where the ball goes. But 18 wasn’t lined up on the boundary on that play. He was the play before, though.”
Jefferson broke the huddle and started to the left, where Gardner was waiting. But he quickly went in motion across to the other side of the field and split out wide against D.J. Reed, another very good defensive back who had plenty of success against Jefferson in the first three quarters.
But not this time. Jefferson cooked Reed at the top of his route, using a hesitation move before sprinting to the corner and hauling in a touchdown pass for a 27-15 lead and some much-needed breathing room.
Justin Jefferson gets the feet down for the TD 🔥
📺: #NYJvsMIN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/rt0pyTSiXl pic.twitter.com/jWihdx9NFr— NFL (@NFL) December 4, 2022
Cousins: “It’s a route he’s had a lot of success with going back to training camp. And it was great to hit that one. We’d been looking for that one for a while.”
Jefferson: “I kind of just lulled him to sleep a little bit at the top of that play, and it was a good spot by Kirk.”
Judges: 10-8, Vikings. It was a hellacious battle worthy of the hype.
Eyes on Jefferson: As he trotted to the sideline, Jefferson is serenaded with “MVP!” chants. At that point, it was the crowd, not Jefferson, who was rocking.
Jefferson: “During that time, it was a tough situation. We didn’t really get any points for a little while. Putting the defense in tough situations. We just needed some points to gain the lead and try to put the game away. It’s a tough team that we’re playing. They did a phenomenal job on both sides playing the game, and we just came out with the dub today.”
JJets > Jets pic.twitter.com/b8bIKkqTww
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 5, 2022
The aftermath
The Jets still managed to make it a close game after that, getting a sneak from White to make it a one-score game again. But Cam Bynum’s interception near the goal line sealed the victory. Jefferson didn’t line up against Gardner or Reed on the final play of the game. He was in the backfield as part of the Vikings’ victory formation.
Jefferson was diplomatic in his postgame remarks, paying respect to a superb defense that kept him under wraps for much of the afternoon. Gardner walked off the field quietly when the game was over, not stopping for any pleasantries.
Jefferson: “Just like going up against any other corner. He’s a great corner. He’s been doing great things this season. But it was nothing for me to think of it any other way besides going up against another person.”
Reed: “I was in his s— all game. He got that one route on me, so I’m frustrated. But I felt like I did a great job containing him. It’s just frustrating because I don’t want to give up a touchdown. I don’t want to be the reason my team loses. I’m going to look at it to see what I could’ve done to play it better, but other than that, I held my own against him.”
Jefferson eventually got wind of Reed’s characterization of the matchup. He responded in kind.
Jefferson, via Twitter: “You can’t talk having safety help. … Call me when yo coach trust you to go 1v1.”
— Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt contributed to this story.
(Top photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
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