Justin Jefferson Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Jefferson-Darius Slay rematch is must-see TV

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated Sep 11, 2023 9:07 PM ET

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is on pace for 2,550 receiving yards in 2023. The Philadelphia Eagles bottled him up last year, but that may not be the case when the teams meet on Thursday night.

Jefferson had nine catches for 150 yards in Minnesota's loss to Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s secondary gave up the fourth-most yards to the Patriots’ Mac Jones in an ugly 25-20 win.

Last season, tight end Irv Smith scored the team’s only touchdown in a 24-7 loss to Philadelphia in Week 2 of the regular season while Jefferson was held in check with six catches for 48 yards.

It wasn’t his worst game of the season, but coming on the heels of a 184-yard, two touchdown game against the Packers a week earlier, it was quite a surprise. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay took great pride in keeping one of the game’s best receivers in check.

Kirk Cousins when targeting Justin Jefferson tonight with Darius Slay as the nearest defender, per @NextGenStats: 1/5, 7 yards, 2 interceptions. pic.twitter.com/ViWxB3GtfN
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 20, 2022

This year, Jefferson will have a little help with rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison. The former Trojan went for 61 yards including a 39-yard touchdown in his NFL debut. He’ll also face an Eagles defense without starting middle linebacker Nakobe Dean and cornerback James Bradberry.

Dean is headed to the IR after suffering a foot injury and Bradberry remains in concussion protocol. He’ll be replaced by Josh Jobe, an undrafted free agent signed in 2022.

If Sean Desai, Philadelphia’s new defensive coordinator is smart, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Jobe away from Jefferson. If Minnesota’s veteran coordinator Brian Flores wants to win, he’ll move Jefferson around to avoid Slay.

When asked, the 32-year-old cornerback said Jefferson was the best wide receiver he faced last year. Both were Pro Bowlers in 2022 and their second meeting is the kind of matchup NFL fans rarely get to see on Thursday night matchups. This ought to be good.

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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