Jets Country

Jets' Sauce Gardner Pumped For Showdown With Vikings' Justin Jefferson

Can Gardner and the Jets defense contain Jefferson and the Vikings on Sunday in Minnesota?

Max Goodman

In this story:

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is having a tremendous rookie season, showing the rest of the NFL exactly why he was worthy of the No. 4 selection in this year's NFL Draft. 

The first-rounder has the most passes defended in the NFL this season (14), he has two interceptions and leads all AFC cornerbacks in fan votes for this year's Pro Bowl.

Gardner can take a productive and impressive rookie season to the next level this week, though. He has a chance to match up with the best of the best in a game with playoff implications.

New York will travel to Minnesota and face the Vikings on Sunday, Gardner's first showdown with wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

"He's a pretty good receiver," Gardner told reporters on Wednesday with a smile. "He runs good routes. His film speaks for itself."

While Gardner wasn't sure how much he'll be able to cover Jefferson this week, he didn't hide his excitement for another challenging matchup, prefacing how much faith he has in the rest of New York's secondary to get the job done as well.

"These are the types of games I love. I love going against the best," Gardner explained. "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."

Jefferson is having a historic campaign, racking up 1,232 receiving yards with 81 receptions in 11 games. He's second in the NFL in receiving yards, one yard behind Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins. The LSU product and former first-round pick has been instrumental in Minnesota's 9-2 start to the season.

“He’s got elite speed, and then on top of it he’s got tremendous body control and strength,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters this week. “His lower half is very awkward in the sense that it’s like a basketball player who can cross-over dribble. He can work outside his frame and create separation, so he’s the total receiver.”

Beating a team like the Vikings won't be easy, but stopping Jefferson is a clear path to success. In each of Minnesota's losses this year, Jefferson has been held to less than 49 receiving yards. New York has a defense that's capable of keeping a lid on Jefferson and the rest Minnesota's aerial attack. The Jets have allowed only 197.5 passing yards per game this season, the eighth-best mark in the NFL. 

MORE:

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Jets Country and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News