The Minnesota Vikings came up short against the Cincinnati Bengals, failing to convert a fourth-and-1 situation in overtime to extend their drive. Instead, they watched the Bengals march 46 yards to get in position for a game-winning field goal.
To even get into that position, though, they road an up-and-down performance from quarterback Nick Mullens, who was making his first start for the Vikings.
Mullens completed 78.8% of his passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals.
He also threw a pair of interceptions that had NBC Sports’ Mike Florio calling for Jaren Hall during the game. Florio previously predicted that Mullens wouldn’t last long in the role. But Justin Jefferson had his quarterback’s back in the locker room.
“Nick did a fantastic job today,” Jefferson said via Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. “Especially … with the week of preparation, him being the starting quarterback. And I feel like he came out today with confidence. And I feel like we were all together, and he leaned on each one of us to help him throughout the game. So he did a fantastic job.”
Mullens was driving the offense when the drive stalled at the Bengals’ 42-yard line. The Vikings went for it on fourth down. But their attempt at the “tush push” fell short.
.@Bengals force a turnover on downs on 4th & Inches #RuleTheJungle
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Some fans questioned the play in light of running back Ty Chandler’s career day. But Jefferson assured they were comfortable with the play call which featured fellow wide receiver Brandon Powell as the pusher.
Powell is listed at 5-foot-8 and 181 pounds.
Justin Jefferson Reacts to Nick Mullens’ Failed ‘Tush Push’
GettyNick Mullens #12 of the Minnesota Vikings.
“Every play that we do we go out there and practice it enough for us to be comfortable to call it,” Jefferson said. “We just couldn’t get the couple inches to get the first down.”
But Jefferson evaluated Mullens on more than just that one play (or the one before it).
“It’s kind of been something that’s been with us for a couple of these games that we lose,” Jefferson said. “We just got to keep looking at the drawing board, keep thinking about the things that we need to fix. But there’s a lot of things that we can take away from this game on the positive side.
“Nick coming in and making some big tremendous plays for us, was able to communicate good, and everybody was on the same page,” continued Jefferson. “We just need to those few minor errors that we have. I feel like we played pretty good though.”
Jefferson was playing in his first game with Mullens at quarterback. He returned from an eight-week absence due to injury in Week 14. But he was knocked out of the contest before Mullens entered in relief of Josh Dobbs.
The stud wideout finished with 84 yards on seven receptions in 10 targets. Minnesota’s 424 total yards of offense were their third most of the season and the first since Kirk Cousins was lost for the season.
Justin Jefferson ‘Confident’ in Vikings’ Playoff Chances
GettyJordan Addison #3 of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings’ playoff chances went from 63.2% before the game to 51.5% with the loss, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert and Football Power Index. But Jefferson’s faith isn’t wavering despite the Vikings suffering their third loss in the last four weeks.
And it’s because they still have a lot of control over their playoff destiny.
“We always feel confident about [making the playoffs], especially when we have three more opportunities against divisional games,” said Jefferson. “We still in it. We’re still right there. Even this game, we’re one, two plays away from winning the game. So that’s the difficult part about it. But it is what it is. We got to move on and think about next week.”
The Vikings are in the driver’s seat for one of the Wild Card spots with a game against the Green Bay Packers sandwiched between the Detroit Lions.
Green Bay can tie Minnesota’s record with a win in Week 15. The Vikings won the first meeting.
Detroit got a win over the Denver Broncos on December 16. But the Vikings can still catch them in record and for the division if they win out and the Lions drop their Week 17 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
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Justin Jefferson Offers Strong Take on Nick Mullens, Vikings ‘Tush Push’