Vikings’ Justin Jefferson on 49ers’ schedule: “With all due respect, I’m not Garrett Wilson” | News, results, highlights, stats and rumors
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Ahead of the Minnesota Vikings’ clash with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Justin Jefferson made little change to the defending NFC champions’ game plan to defend Garrett Wilson in Week 1.
Jefferson said, “With all due respect, I’m not Garrett Wilson,” when asked if he learned anything from Monday night’s game between the 49ers and New York Jets, because “the teams play completely differently against me.”
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#Vikings WR Justin Jefferson watched as the #49ers defended Garrett Wilson in Week 1 to prepare him for Sunday:
“Yes and no. With all due respect, I’m not Garrett Wilson. Teams play completely differently against me.” pic.twitter.com/Bfbdqm6SDT
Wilson’s game report against the 49ers is not immediately striking, with six catches for 60 yards. When you consider how few plays the Jets made, it looks much better. New York only made 49 plays in this game, the third least for each team in Week 1.
Aaron Rodgers targeted Wilson 10 times on his 21 pass attempts (47.6 percent). It wouldn’t be a surprise if Jefferson had a similar target share this week, especially with Jordan Addison already out with an ankle injury.
TJ Hockenson is also out of action as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in a Week 16 loss to the Detroit Lions last season.
When the 49ers and Vikings met in Week 7 last year, Jefferson was unable to play due to a hamstring injury. Addison had his best game of the season with 123 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions.
Sam Darnold had a great debut as Minnesota’s starting quarterback last week, completing his first 12 passes and completing 19 of 24 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 28-6 win over the New York Giants.
Jefferson didn’t have a good game because Darnold was able to spread the ball around. He had just four catches for 59 yards and one touchdown on six attempts. Eight different players caught a pass for the Vikings in Week 1.
The 49ers’ defense will likely pose more problems for the Vikings. They held the Jets to 266 yards, including just 68 yards on the ground. They gave up at least 100 rushing yards in each of their final four games last season, including the playoffs.
Don’t be surprised if Darnold puts Jefferson under fire to keep up with the 49ers. Given the offensive strength of both teams, this should be a high-scoring game.
