In front of 'special' audience, Bucs safety to face ultimate challenge
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. grew up a diehard Vikings fan, rooting for the team's star cornerback, his father.
With the Vikings, Winfield Sr. earned second-team All-Pro honors, played in three Pro Bowls and was named one of the "50 Greatest Vikings" following his nine-season stretch with the team.
On Sunday, for the first time since the Bucs drafted him in 2020 from the Univesity of Minnesota, Winfield Jr. will play football in Minnesota again — but this time, he'll be on the road team's side of the field.
"It's going to be special going up there," Winfield Jr. told reporters ahead of the Week 1. Winfield plans to have lots of family in the crowd — all of whom he's requiring to wear Tampa Bay gear.
But the 25-year-old's homecoming won't be all fun and games. He'll be tasked with one of the NFL's most difficult challenges: defending against wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year had an NFL-leading 1,809 receiving yards and eight TD catches last season.
"He's that guy," Winfield Jr. said. "We have to make sure we contain him as much as possible."
The two faced off as rookies in 2020 when the Vikings played at Tampa Bay in 2020. Winfield Jr. posted an impressive 12 tackles, a sack and tackle for loss and helped hold Jefferson to four catches for 39 yards.
But that was then. While the Bucs have since declined, Jefferson and the Vikings have improved.
"It's going to be a chore for us to be disciplined," Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said in a recent news conference about playing Jefferson and the Vikings.
With quarterback Baker Mayfield leading an uncertain Tampa Bay offense, Winfield Jr. and company must step up to give the Bucs a fighting chance.
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