Justin Jefferson shows how good of a leader he is when asked about biggest issue in Week 1 and it’s everything you could ask for
It’s a great answer from one of your leaders.
Monday night saw the Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears in historic fashion 27-24. There were many different elements to getting the first win for starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but how they got to that point started with a little bit of turbulence.
In the third quarter of Monday night’s game, McCarthy made a check at the line of scrimmage due to an incoming blitz, and ended up throwing an interception to Nahshon Wright that was returned for a touchdown.
Justin Jefferson had perfect response to pick six
Seeing that pick six was frustrating in real time for both the Vikings and the fan base. They were putting together a decent drive to get some points down 10-6 and it felt deflating for many watching the game. Luckily, the Vikings didn’t end up feeling that way, as McCarthy ended up proving to the rest of the roster that he was everything the team believed he was.
How did that interception happen? It’s natural to ask that question, as it can be many factors. After practice on Thursday, wide receiver Justin Jefferson took responsibility for the interception, saying that he wasn’t in the right spot.
“J.J. wasn’t ready for me to be out that soon,” said Jefferson about the pick-six. “That’s why the ball was thrown inside of me, where it needed to be outside. So it’s mostly on me, on that play. I’m just happy that J.J. really didn’t think about it too much. J.J. was on to the next play.”
This is a really interesting point from Jefferson. Despite always being around the facility during training camp, he didn’t practice much after injuring his hamstring, which makes those little chemistry things that much more difficult. If they had a few more reps together, that interception could have been avoided entirely.
There is also the potiential of Jefferson taking responsibility because he’s a captain and it really was the fault of McCarthy. If that’s the case, it’s a great move by one of your team’s leaders. Either way, things are looking better for the Vikings.