Why Vikings’ Jefferson envisions 49ers’ defense forcing adjustments originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Minnesota Vikings’ superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson is used to facing weird, creative coverages.
But the 25-year-old probably won’t see them as often against the 49ers in Week 2.
Jefferson, preparing for San Francisco’s Sunday trip to Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium, has noticed his opponent often plays elite wideouts mano a mano — a vote of confidence from the Super Bowl LVIII runner-ups.
“We feel they have a pretty consistent tendency with what they play and how they play No. 1 receivers,” Jefferson told reporters about the 49ers on Thursday (h/t Minnesota Vikings). “So, we have a game plan for that. We’ve been in the film room, so.
“It’s something we’ve been dealing with for the past three years since [Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell] has been here. It’s just something to work on. We feel like we’re going to get man coverage throughout the game, but we just need to win those one-on-one battles.”
On Monday night against the New York Jets, the 49ers played the 10th-most man coverage (33 percent) of any team to begin the 2024 NFL season, per Pro Football Focus.
AP All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward and San Francisco’s secondary limited New York star receiver Garrett Wilson to a subpar 60 yards receiving and zero touchdowns; meanwhile, Jefferson collected a score and a 44-yard reception in the Vikings’ win over the New York Giants.
Against man coverage last season, Jefferson averaged 18.9 yards per reception and totaled 642 yards receiving — only the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown had more yards.
Jefferson isn’t sure what first-year defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen and the 49ers will throw at him in Sunday’s matinee. However, the league’s highest-paid wideout is betting on himself to win all matchups anyway.
“I’m always confident in my play style and my ability to get open versus man-to-man coverage,”…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-vikings-jefferson-envisions-49ers-190336923.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-09-13 19:03:36
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