Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Delivers Blunt Take About Eagles Star

The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22. The slim margin of defeat makes Justin Jefferson’s dropped touchdown reception against Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean stand out, and the All-Pro wide receiver is certainly taking it to heart.

Jefferson finished the game with five receptions for 79 yards. He was officially held out of the end zone following strong comments regarding that aspect of his game before the contest.

After the loss, Jefferson did not mince words about that battle with DeJean.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Delivers Blunt Take on Eagles CB Cooper DeJean

DeJean drew attention for his, as Pro Football Focus suggested on X after the play, lockdown coverage on Jefferson on the play during a drive that eventually saw the Vikings settle for a field goal.

Asked if he believed his “drop” was actually DeJean breaking up the pass, Jefferson said, “nah.”

“All respect to him, but that, that’s a catch any day of the week,” Jefferson told reporters on October 19. “I just gotta be more focused into pulling the ball into me and towards instead of just laying the ball out there and letting him just knock the ball out my hand. So, I would say that’s more on me than on him.”

DeJean celebrated the incompletion, as DBs are wont to do. However, it was Jefferson who was touting his abilities and, really, his mindset before the game.

“To be honest, wherever that ball touched my hand, I’m trying to get in that [end]zone,” Jefferson told Vikings legend Randy Moss on “Sunday NFL Countdown” on October 19. “So, it can be in the red zone, it can be from 50, or it might go 97 [yards] again. Who knows?”

Jefferson’s longest reception of the day went for 40 yards on a catch-and-run.

Justin Jefferson Points Out Red Zone Issues

Jefferson said that the Vikings’ struggles in the red zone were due to “just hurting ourselves and just causing us to go backwards instead of forward. We just got to execute our plays to the fullest and just take one play at a time. And when the opportunity comes, make those plays.”

The Vikings were 1-for-6 on the day in the red zone, including Jefferson’s drop.

“One of those red zone drives is – that’s me, dropping a touchdown, and not really pulling the ball all the way in. And I’m always critical on myself,” Jefferson said. “And always, especially when my opportunities are very, very slim. So, those are opportunities, I got to make the most of them.”

Making the most of their opportunities was a theme for the Vikings during Jefferson’s postgame availability.

Justin Jefferson Remains Confident in Vikings

Asked if the Vikings were trying to “figure it out” during the game, Jefferson said. “Yeah and no.”

“Honestly, it’s just executing those plays, those one or two plays, every drive that kind of hurts us and put us in bad positions. But I don’t feel like we’re still trying to ‘find out’ or still trying to ‘figure out what’s going on,’” Jefferson said.

“We understand what’s going on. We have the players out there that make the plays and do what we need to do to go down and score; we just need to finish those drives, especially games like this. We’re competing against a team that just won a Super Bowl. So, plays like that and making the most of those opportunities is the things that count.”

Jefferson and the Vikings will look to regroup in Week 8. They will visit the Los Angeles Chargers on a short week for “Thursday Night Football.”

Detroit Lions Players Rip Into PFF’s Controversial Player Grades

If you’ve ever tuned into an NFL broadcast and seen those bright, shiny Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades pop up next to players’ names, you’re not alone, and neither are the players rolling their eyes at them.

This week, the debate around how players are graded by PFF has taken center stage, with several Detroit Lions players firing back at the popular analytics site for what they see as misleading evaluations.

Lions Players Sound Off: “They Don’t Even Know the Scheme”

Inside the Lions locker room, frustration with PFF seems universal. Cornerback Terrion Arnold didn’t hold back, saying he’ll never accept the site’s grading system because “they don’t even know what plays are being called.”

“I stopped checking when there was a play where I was in Cover 2 and it said I was actually in man-to-man,” Arnold said as quoted by Lions OnSI. “They don’t really know the scheme. Then I saw another one where I supposedly gave up a touchdown — but I wasn’t even the guy in coverage. They just see who’s closest to the ball.”

Amik Robertson echoed that sentiment, saying he tuned out PFF completely after his second year in the league.

“PFF is just guys who never played the game. They don’t even know what defense we’re in,” Robertson said. “I don’t care about rankings. The eye in the sky don’t lie.”

Meanwhile, linebacker Grant Stuard took a more diplomatic approach, saying he only checks PFF to see how many snaps he played.

“I can understand why fans look at it,” Stuard said. “But they don’t really know what we’re running. Nobody does but us.”

The Bottom Line

Whether you love PFF or hate it, one thing’s clear: NFL players don’t think the grades tell the full story. Schemes, assignments, and film room context matter far more than a number next to their name, and for Detroit’s defenders, that’s what really defines performance.

Or as Amik Robertson put it: “The eye in the sky don’t lie.”

Drafted with AI assistance, edited and fact-checked by DSN staff.

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