The Detroit Lions are getting a big game out of Marvin Jones, and it’s helping them hang in a key ballgame with the Minnesota Vikings.
In the first half against Minnesota, Jones grabbed 3 touchdown passes, helping the Lions to a 21-21 tie with the Vikings. It was an insane output for Jones, who stepped up big in order to make some of the fantastic catches he was able to snag on the afternoon.
Here’s Jones snagging his first catch of the day and slipping into the end zone with a very nifty and slippery move.
SMOOTH OPERATOR @MarvinJonesJr
After that, Jones made a nice catch in the corner of the end zone for the second score of the day for the Lions and the player himself.
GO OFF THEN!
@MarvinJonesJr with his second touchdown of the quarter! #OnePride
There was one more catch too, and it was late in the first half in a clutch spot for the Lions, who used the play in order to tie the game and get themselves square in the contest.
.@MarvinJonesJr coming up BIG with TD No. 3️⃣
As LeBron James once said, Jones went for not one, not two but three scores in the first half which was quite the explosion in the game for the player, who had only scored one touchdown so far this season coming into this week’s game.
The History
Minnesota is a proud team with a strong defensive history, so obviously, it had been some time since such an output had been had against them in an NFL game. Jones joins the incomparable Jerry Rice as players to have gone off against the Vikings for three scores in the first half of a football game. That happened in 1995 while Rice was playing for the San Francisco 49ers and was battling the Vikings.
Jones will never admit it, but it’s pretty good company to keep any time a player can join Rice in a statistical conversation. Obviously, turning three scores in against a strong Vikings defense is something that is nice to see on the field.
Seeing a player go off for three scores in one half is quite an accomplishment, and as this history shows, it’s not something which is likely to happen again for some time in a game, much less a game against Minnesota, a stronger defensive team.
Matthew Stafford’s Favorite Target
Not only did Jones make some team and personal history, he helped Stafford make some as well. With the touchdown explosion, Jones and Stafford have combined for 21 scores in their time together, which is Stafford’s third highest total to any one player in his career as the Lions PR team pointed out after the catches were made. It’s clear the duo like competing with one another and as they stick together, these numbers might only go up in time.
Stafford and Jones have formed a solid connection, and arguably, this has been their best day on the field together since they hooked up when Jones came to Detroit as a free agent a few years back.
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Lions’ Marvin Jones Makes History With Touchdown Explosion [WATCH]