Jets rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner was a Justin Jefferson fan when the Vikings wideout made a remarkable one-handed catch against the Bills a few weeks ago because he wanted to see Minnesota knock off their AFC East rivals, but there won’t be the same love on display this weekend.
Gardner and the Jets will be in Minneapolis to take on Jefferson and the Vikings in a game that the Jets need to win in order to keep a leg up in the race for playoff spots. Slowing Jefferson down would be a good way to make that happen, but that’s proven to be a difficult task for Vikings opponents over the last three seasons.
It’s not clear whether the Jets will have Gardner on Jefferson all day or if the Vikings will try to get D.J. Reed or others to cover Jefferson. However that plays out, Gardner is looking forward to the challenge and confident in the Jets’ chances of success.
“These are the types of games I love. I love going against the best,” Gardner said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “When you’ve got two dominant cornerbacks, you don’t really have to stress about anything. We’ve been holding our own this whole season, so we don’t really have to change anything.”
The Jets have had good success against star wideouts from other teams over the course of the season, but Sunday may bring their toughest test yet.