Sauce Gardner vs. Justin Jefferson is the matchup everyone wants to see in Vikings vs. Jets
The Minnesota Vikings take on the New York Jets on Sunday morning at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. If the Vikings win the game on Sunday, they will be the first team to start 4-0 in international games with all of them having been in London. Previously, the Vikings beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in […]
The Minnesota Vikings take on the New York Jets on Sunday morning at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. If the Vikings win the game on Sunday, they will be the first team to start 4-0 in international games with all of them having been in London. Previously, the Vikings beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013, the Cleveland Browns in 2017 and New Orleans Saints in 2022.
The Jets are a familiar opponent in recent years. The two teams met at U.S. Bank Stadium in December of 2022 where the Vikings beat Mike White and the Jets by a score of 27-22 in a barnburner of a game. The Vikings will be facing a much different team on Sunday with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.
The biggest matchups of the game will end up deciding the winner.
Jonathan Greenard vs. Olu Fashanu
The news that Morgan Moses won't play on Sunday morning broke on Thursday when the injury report was released in the afternoon. Not having Moses and potentially Alijah Vera-Tucker who appeared on the injury report on Thursday as well could be brutal for the Jets.
Jonathan Greenard has been a revelation for the Vikings this year. He is third in the NFL in pressures with 22 and is tied for fifth with 4.0 sacks. The Vikings have done a great job isolating Greenard and getting him one-on-one matchups. That could be a major factor in getting pressure on Rodgers, especially with his Achilles injury having impacted his mobility.
Sauce Gardner vs. Justin Jefferson
This is the matchup that everyone wants to see on Sunday night. Jefferson is undoubtedly the best wide receiver in the National Football League and there is a real argument that Garder is the best cornerback.
The Jets like to play man coverage a lot under Robert Saleh. This year, they are playing man coverage 26% of the time, which ranks 18th in the NFL according to Sports Info Solutions. Last season, they were 11th in the NFL usage, but ranked third in success rate when they were in man coverage. This season hasn't been a lot different, as they have the same 38% success rate but it ranks ninth in the NFL right now.
Gardner has the skills to man up with just about every wide receiver in the NFL, but Jeffersonfis on a different level than everyone else. When they are going up against each other, it will be must-see TV.
Aaron Rodgers vs. Brian Flores
In all honestly, there likely isn't a franchise that Rodgers dislikes more than the Vikings. They have caused him a lot of issues over the years, including a broken collar bone in their 2017 matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Mike Zimmer used to give Rodgers fits with how he would bring pressure and play coverage behind it. While Flores doesn't run the same kind of defense, he does bring a lot of pressure that Rodgers will have to deal with. Can Rodgers pick this defense apart or will they end up stifling him like Zimmer did?
Vikings usage of defesnive personnel has evolved significantly and it could be a problem
Could the Vikings defense have a problem down the line?
