There is no better one-on-one matchup in Week 13 than Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson against Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Jefferson can’t be stopped and nobody beats Gardner. Something has to give.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gardner is the best cover corner in the NFL. The New York Jets rookie has been targeted 53 times and only 23 of those passes have been caught, with only one going for a touchdown.
The man he’s covered has beaten him for a gain of 20+ yards just twice this season. Stefon Diggs got him for a 42-yard gain in Week 9 and Tee Higgins took him for a 45-yard ride in Week 3. Beyond that, he’s been a shutdown corner.
Here’s how quarterbacks have done targeting Gardner game-by-game:
- Bears: 1 catch for 31 yards on 3 targets
- Patriots: 2 catches for 19 yards on 4 targets
- Bills: 1 catch for 45 yards on 3 targets
- Patriots: 2 catches for -4 yards on 3 targets
- Broncos: 4 catches for 16 yards on 10 targets
- Packers: 1 catch for 8 yards on 6 targets
- Dolphins: 3 catches for 26 yards on 5 targets
- Steelers: 2 catches for 9 yards on 7 targets
- Bengals: 2 catches for 51 yards on 4 targets
- Browns: 4 catches for 33 yards and a touchdown on 5 targets
- Ravens: 1 catch for 8 yards on 3 targets
The only touchdown he’s allowed came in his second game as a pro when Amari Cooper scored from six yards out, and even that touchdown being charged to Gardner is questionable because it looked like Gardner turned Cooper over to the safety.
Gardner is 11 games into his career and he’s yet to give up a touchdown where he was actually trying to cover the receiver and he’s never allowed more than four catches in a game.
Jefferson is a different beast. The Eagles held him to 48 yards on six catches in Week 2 and the Lions held him to 14 yards in Week 3, but since then he’s been dominant with the lone exception of the full team no-show against the Cowboys.
Take out the Dallas debacle and Jefferson’s last seven games have totaled 60 catches on 82 targets for 953 yards and three touchdowns. On a per game average, that’s 8.5 catches and 136 yards.
Get your popcorn ready because two giants go head-to-head at noon Sunday.
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