Before he joined the Eagles this year, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery spent five years with the Bears and faced the Vikings nine times.
Some of those were big days, including Jeffery’s 249 yards and two touchdowns in a 2013 loss in Minnesota, and Jeffery wound up with seven touchdowns against the Vikings overall. That’s the most he has against any team and coach Doug Pederson was asked on Thursday if he’s gone back to watch Jeffery work against Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes as he prepares for Sunday.
“Yeah, I’ve gone back and looked at that match-up in particular just to see the battle that went on and the types of things that Alshon did against him, and the coverage technique that he used,” Pederson said at a press conference. “Does it apply to this game? Maybe a little bit. I think Alshon’s a better player. I think he’s [Rhodes] a much better player, obviously, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence. It’s going to be another great match-up again Sunday evening.”
Jeffery is used differently than he was in Chicago in a different offense with different players around him, so there may not be much to read into past matchups. If he does have any tricks up his sleeve, however, they would be welcomed by the Eagles.
