No Kirk Cousins, no problem for the Minnesota Vikings. The team fired on all cylinders, offense, and defense against the San Francisco 49ers. The chemistry between quarterback Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson was a match made in heaven!
It was hard to envision Justin Jefferson developing similar chemistry with Sam Darnold as he had with Kirk Cousins in the former’s first year as the starting QB for the Vikings but if one watches them play, one knows that the duo just connect. In the matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Darnold and Jefferson went end-to-end.
The quarterback threw a 97-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson. Sam Darnold threw the ball from the Vikings’ endzone all the way downfield to the 50-yard line where Jefferson caught it. From that point forward all the wide receiver did was justify his $140 million contract.
Justin Jefferson turned on the jets and with Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum right on his tail, he began to cruise to the endzone. But as he neared the 30-yard line, Jefferson understood he was going to run out of bounds if he continued to stick to the left lane as the defensive backs were closing in on him.
At this point, Jefferson made a sudden stop and switched his direction. He began to run the other way across the field and with a little blocking support from Jalen Nailor, the wide receiver jumped right into the endzone.
Right after he scored the first touchdown of the game, Justin Jefferson broke out his iconic griddy celebration. There could not have been a more apt moment for him to perform the griddy as he and Sam Darnold connected on a play that the 49ers did not anticipate the Vikings to run. Minnesota is an underdog this season, the team has managed to keep the 49ers at bay, and eventually won 23-17.
