The Minnesota Vikings have gotten elite production from their superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson in his eight career games against the Detroit Lions and he could be in for a massive day on Sunday.
Through two days of practice, Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III has yet to practice with a quad injury. That would leave rookie Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson and Kindle Vildor as their best options to cover Jefferson.
That is not a recipe for success for the Lions, especially when you look at how well Jefferson has fared against the Lions.
Justin Jefferson dominates the Detroit Lions
It’s no secret that Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the National Football League and his performances against the Lions epitomizes that.
As Jefferson is in his fifth season, he has played the Lions eight times. In those eight games, Jefferson has compiled some absurd stats.
83 targets
62 catches
1,073 yards
3 touchdowns
Jefferson doing that over eight games would be a good full season for many wide receivers. What’s also wild about these numbers is they include a completely dud game with three catches for 14 yards and a solid game with three catches for 64 yards. He has six 100-yard games with three over 180 yards and one at 223.
The Lions like to play man coverage and that could be a recipe for disaster. According to Sports Info Solutions, the Lions have played the most man coverage in the NFL this season at a rate of 47%. That’s not a great recipe for success against the Vikings.
One of the reasons why playing man isn’t a great idea is the lack of pressure other teams are generating. teams are blitzing the Vikings significantly less when Jefferson is on the field (17 times) than off the field (30). Quarterback Sam Darnold is more effective when he is kept clean in the pocket and it’s much more likely if the opponent isn’t blitzing.
The Vikings are likely going to attack with Jefferson down the field on Sunday and force the Lions to double-team him. That will make life much easier for the Vikings’ other weapons on the outside in Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor.
No matter what, Jefferson is going to have a major impact on the game and it’s likely because he torched the Lions’ cornerbacks.