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Shedding three Detroit Lions defenders in wreckage on the turf at Ford Field, Justin Jefferson looked back with a shrug as he slowly scampered into the end zone.
What could have been a miraculous play late in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ 34-23 loss to the Lions was blown dead.
Justin Jefferson’s Brother Rips NFL for Blown Call
Knocked off balance by a tackler before gathering himself along the sidelines, Jefferson’s stride kept him upright and what he believed was inbounds. Meanwhile, the officials ruled him out for a 39-yard gain.
Jefferson’s brother, Rickey, took issue with the call, retweeting a video of the replay accompanied by a single word: “Unbelievable.”
Although the Vikings would score on a Kirk Cousins–K.J. Osborn connection just 45 seconds later in an eventual loss, it dampened a historic performance for Jefferson, who set the franchise single-game receiving yards record of 223 yards.
The dilemma with the play was the officials blew the play dead, nullifying any chance to review whether his foot was in and crediting Jefferson for continuing his run to the end zone.
Fans on both sides of the game took issue with the call.
Another point made by one fan was that if the play was kept live the officials could have reviewed whether Jefferson’s heel was truly out of bounds or not in the aftermath.
Despite the officials’ miscue, the call didn’t have a significant swing on the outcome of the game. Detroit regained possession with 2:50 remaining and marched downfield to convert a field goal with 0:17 left on the clock.
Kevin O’Connell Heads Justin Jefferson’s Advice After Lions Held Him to Career Low in Week 3
Jefferson’s performance on Sunday may just be the tip of the iceberg for the third-year star.
However, it was a full-circle moment for the 21-year-old who was held to a career-low 14 receiving yards in the Vikings’ Week 3 win over the Lions. Detroit shadowed Jefferson with 2020 first-round pick Jeff Okudah while also blanketing him with safety help.
Jefferson told O’Connell to start motioning him around more in the offense back in Week 3, and it proved to be effective in a rematch with the Lions. Detroit threw a variety of coverages at Jefferson who exploited them often for the biggest game of his career.
“Justin [Jefferson] did a phenomenal job again having a big day he was being doubled and safety was helping. I tribute [that] to Kevin [O’Connell] and our coaching staff just continuing to find opportunities to still get him the football,” Cousins said in his postgame press conference.
Far too often the Vikings offense has fought with its backs against the wall, but on Sunday they showed a new ceiling. Cousins threw for over 400 yards for just the seventh time in his career while Jefferson eclipsed 200-plus receiving yards for the first time in his young career.
“I thought [Cousins] was attempting to will our football team to a victory both with his execution level. Justin Justin’s adjustments he made since the last time he played against these guys I thought he played incredibly fast and explosive and Kirk was right there with him every step of the way,” O’Connell said in a December 11 postgame press conference. “I’m really proud of those guys and I think that will help us continue to help us moving forward.”
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