Getty Jefferson was not shaken by a physical Jets secondary on Sunday, December 4.
A vicious hit that Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson took against the New York Jets has come under scrutiny.
In the second quarter of the Vikings’ 27-22 win, Jets safety Jordan Whitehead came charging down at the Vikings receiver, who secured the ball before being blasted by the veteran safety. He was called for unnecessary roughness, a personal foul that was tacked on to the first down Jefferson converted with the catch.
A video of the hit has circulated on social media and sparked scrutiny from analysts, fans and players, including Buffalo Bills All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer.
Bills’ Jordan Poyer: ‘They Want Us to Play Flag Football’
On December 4, Poyer retweeted a video of the hit and let out a cry for help felt by many of the NFL’s defenders of this era.
Personal foul for playing football…. What an absolute joke. The crew has been horrendous
“I mean… my goodness they want us to play flag football at this point,” he said.
New York Post Jets beat reporter Brian Costello tweeted during the game, “Jordan Whitehead penalized for playing football.”
Jordan Whitehead penalized for playing football
One fan called the league “soft” in response to the “beautiful hit” by Whitehead.
The NFL has become violently soft. That was a beautiful hit by Jordan Whitehead.
The hit does look clean from the overhead angle, however, other angles do show helmet-to-helmet contact.
Thanks for showing only the one (deceptive) angle. Look again, from the other angle – its total Head-to-Head. No surprise coming from the @nyjets, though. They seem to lead with the helmet all day. pic.twitter.com/WpxRHg3PG9
— Scott Riggs (@scottriggs6) December 5, 2022
Whitehead didn’t seem to lower the crown of his head to hit Jefferson that way, however, the results of the play speak for themselves. The game’s broadcast crew, viewing the on-field angle, agreed with the call, and you can see Jefferson’s helmet spun by the contact with Whitehead’s helmet.
Justin Jefferson’s Toughness Proving to be Part of His ‘Greatness’ Gene
Regardless of whether Whitehead’s hit was a penalty or not, Jefferson taking the hit and keeping possession of the ball was vital in converting on third-and-5. Dalvin Cook scored on a touchdown run the next play.
Later in the second quarter, Jefferson again held onto the ball with Whitehead barreling down on him to convert a third-and-2. It was the first third-down conversion on what led to an 11-play, 86-yard scoring drive (the Vikings’ longest of the day) that put Minnesota up by two possessions.
GREAT catch by Justin Jefferson while taking the hit from Jordan Whitehead. First down Vikings
Jefferson got a taste of what life is like for quarterback Kirk Cousins, whose durability at the quarterback position is unmatched. Cousins, despite a frantic afternoon facing a feisty Jets pass rush, stuck in the pocket under pressure and delivered a touchdown strike along the sidelines to Jefferson, who tapped his toes in before D.J. Reed Jr. delivered a hit along the side boundary.
“It’s all about the trust. Kirk had the trust to stay in that pocket and launch me the ball. Me having that confidence and seeing a defender coming to hit me and still making that grab. It’s something that we both work on,” Jefferson said in a December 4 postgame press conference. “We just have to keep eating on those, keep having that connection and building off that.”
Justin Jefferson gets the feet down for the TD 🔥
📺: #NYJvsMIN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/rt0pyTSiXl
An AFC Scout pointed to Jeffersons’ gutty performance on Sunday as a trait of his greatness.
“Greatness is in his DNA,” an AFC South Scout told Heavy senior NFL reporter Matt Lombardo. “He’s a dawg. Justin just competes at everything, is driven to be the best, and he’s as tough as they come.”