Monday, October 7th, 2024

Jefferson: Defense won the game today

Craig Llewellyn

Editor

Jefferson: Defense won the game today

Craig Llewellyn NFL

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson admitted that the team would probably not be returning to the United States with its unblemished record — either for 2024 or for games in London — intact without the major input of its defense.

The All-Pro wideout, more used to being a part of a prolific Vikings offense, conceded that his side of the ball had put pressure on the defense by not being able to score as freely against the New York Jets in London as they have been against other teams so far this season. The Vikings ran out 23-17 winners to ensure they remain as the NFC’s leading team through five weeks of the campaign, but Jefferson was quick to note that they cannot afford too many sloppy offensive games.

“The defense definitely helped us out today,” he conceded. “I was not surprised [at how they played], but just the way that they attacked the ball, the turnovers, the pick six… It was definitely something that we needed, especially the way the offense played. I felt, just based off of how our defense has been playing, that it didn’t feel like we were in a bad spot. I felt like we were going to make a play at some point in that [final] drive — and, luckily, we did.

“But, as an offense, we can’t put our defense in those type of situations, especially by the way they’re playing, getting us the ball back, even putting points on the board. I wasn’t happy about how the offense played as a whole, as we definitely left yards, points out there, but that’s how the game goes sometimes. Every game is not going to be a great game for us. There’s going to be moments where we hit adversity sometimes, moments where the game is not going to go the way we want it to go. We’ve just got to be better as players, as in coming together and just not worrying about what’s been going on throughout the whole game.

“I always try to prepare myself to go through those tough games where I’m getting held or I’m getting doubled, and I’ve still got to get open. It’s my job to get open and make plays for this team. So every single time I’m out there on that field, no matter how they’re guarding me, no matter how they’re holding me, I try to make the most of those opportunities. I don’t feel like any team can really take me out of the game. They had a couple of holding penalties and a couple of bracket coverages or a safety over the top, but that’s going to happen every single week. That’s not something that we’re kind of surprised about. Every single week we’re kind of focused on me being doubled or me being tripled. It happens.

“We’ve just got to do a better job as an offense to contain the game, make sure [the opposition] don’t get that time of possession back. We just need to execute our plays whenever we need to. There’s definitely room for improvement and room to work — I’m excited for this bye week to get a rest and then get back to it, but we definitely need to fix some things.”

Losing running back Aaron Jones early in the game put a dent in the Vikings gameplan, while Jefferson also felt that his own game was impacted slightly by the British weather.

“Aaron is a great back, and he definitely makes some key plays for us, especially with the run game, but it’s never something that we’re being down on,” he remarked. “It changes up the whole game plan, but we have Ty Chandler and we have other guys in the backfield that can have the same type of style as him and make big plays just like he does. It’s definitely tough missing that type of player, a key player on our offense, but we always have confidence in the next man up to come in and do exactly what he need to do.

“[The conditions] changed [as the game went on], but that happens. It was kind of raining a little bit, being a little cold, but it’s not something that we put a major force to. Field conditions are going to be field conditions. Every field is not going to be perfect in this league. We’ve still got to make sure we’re getting our technique down and making sure that we’re getting our feet in front of our shoulders.”

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