Behind The Play: Justin Jefferson’s 40-Yard Catch
K. Joudry
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The Minnesota Vikings don’t beat the Jacksonville Jaguars unless Justin Jefferson has an incredible game. By this point, you know the stats: 9 catches, 121 yards, and a touchdown. The stats don’t tell the whole story, though. He drew a long pass interference penalty, setting the Vikings up for their third touchdown of the game. In overtime, Jefferson was called for offensive pass interference; if it had been called correctly, Jefferson would have had a huge catch on a critical 3rd & 19. While all of these details are impressive, the play I want to focus on is his third quarter 40-yard catch.
Jefferson’s 40-Yard Catch
Minnesota didn’t have a good start to the game, but the opening half ended on some positives. Cameron Dantzler got his first career interception, and the offense responded by promptly scoring their first touchdown of the game. We began the second half with the ball, so there was an opportunity to quickly overcome Jacksonville’s 9-6 lead.
However, a miscommunication between Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook led to a pick-six:
The significance of the opening pick-six goes beyond merely building narrative suspense. The Vikings are in I-formation while using 21 personnel. The Vikings saw something during the opening half that led them to believe they could have success throwing the ball if they showed run.
Jacksonville had success stopping the run. The Vikings responded by deploying formations that suggest run before actually passing. The Vikings thus start the half in 21 personnel, doing so to help disguise their true intention of passing the ball. Unfortunately, a miscommunication between Cousins and Cook led to a costly turnover.
Some coaching staffs would deviate from their plan, but Minnesota’s coaches are a stubborn bunch. The Vikings immediately return to 21 personnel on the next series. They begin with a modest one-yard run before hitting Cook on a pass for a first down. They then shift to 12 personnel. The Vikings again struggle to find room running the ball, but Cousins eventually finds Adam Thielen for a big 3rd & 10 conversion.
Immediately thereafter, the Vikings are called for a holding penalty, so the Vikings face 1st & 20. Cousins finds Jefferson for an eleven-yard gain, setting up a 2nd & 9. Kubiak returns to I-formation, 21 personnel:
Kubiak has repeatedly shown his commitment to running the ball both in this game and during the season as a whole. Jacksonville wisely adjusted their defense to account for these trends. Indeed, the Jags did a tremendous job of containing Cook.
On 2nd & 9, though, Kubiak showed run before actually calling a big pass. The work he did before this play — repeatedly feeding the ball to Cook — certainly helped Jefferson here. Jefferson gets a one-on-one match up with the corner. Cousins wisely throws the rainbow pass to his stud rookie receiver, and Jefferson doesn’t disappoint. According to Next Gen Stats, the Cousins-Jefferson 40-yard completion only has a 25.1% chance of being completed.
On the next play, Kubiak takes part in more tomfoolery. The Vikings are again in I-formation, but this time it’s 22 personnel. It certainly looks like a run. What actually happens? Cousins hits C.J. Ham on a swing route to the left for a touchdown. Game on.
Conclusion
Justin Jefferson deserves a ton of credit for his performance on Sunday. He was sensational. The coaches also deserve credit. Kubiak’s half-time adjustments went a long way in freeing the offense. A core part of Kubiak’s and Mike Zimmer’s philosophy rests in being unpredictable. Tossing deep passes out of I-formation, 21 personnel certainly qualifies.
Deploying this formation forces defenses to respect the threat of the run, especially since it’s Dalvin Cook getting the ball. The issue is that it simultaneously frees up Jefferson and Thielen by giving them favorable matchups. Like many Vikings fans, the hope here is that Minnesota will exploit these favorable matchups more and more as the season hastens toward its conclusion.
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