Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Justin Jefferson's third-down grab earned 46.8 percent of the nearly 4,500 votes. Creators of this poll had in mind the rookie's 25-yard catch on a back-shoulder pass to convert a third-and-6 and extend Minnesota's fourth-quarter drive. Alexander Mattison capped the possession with a touchdown, the Vikings fourth and final trip to the paint of the day.
Jefferson adjusted down the sideline, to find the football and make the catch, keeping the Vikings drive alive and allowing them to make it a two-score game three plays later.
"That's Kirk [Cousins] just trusting me to make that play," Jefferson said. "The funny part about it is we've never really worked on those back-shoulder throws, and to be able to go out there and do it in the game and complete for the first down, that's trust right there."
Jefferson had another impressive third-down catch earlier in the game, though, this one for 23 yards on third-and-10. The reception, made between Texans defenders Vernon Hargreaves III and Lonnie Johnson, Jr., came at a pivotal point in which the Vikings clung to just a 17-16 lead over the Texans and gave them the boost they needed to pull ahead.
Of course, Jefferson was just one of the afternoon's standouts.
Anthony Harris' goal-line tackle received 24.4 percent of the votes, and Cousins' fourth-down run followed close behind with 23.2 percent. A category for "other" totaled 5.6 percent of the votes.
With a 10-3 lead over Houston in the second quarter, Minnesota faced a fourth-and-2 from the Texans 30-yard line. Rather than go for the field goal, though, the Vikings opted to go for it with a designed run for Cousins, who picked up five yards. The scramble kept the drive alive, and Dalvin Cook capped the possession with a 7-yard touchdown.
The Texans had four consecutive tries from at or inside the Vikings 5-yard line to close the game, including back-to-back tries from the 1 on second and third down, but Minnesota's defense didn't allow them to score.
Harris made a particularly impressive stop when he tackled Texans running back David Johnson for no gain on second-and-goal. On the previous play, he had helped safety George Iloka down Johnson short of the goal line.
Other plays highlighted by fans in the tweet's comment thread included Kyle Rudolph's impressive 19-yard catch in traffic, which directly followed Jefferson's third-and-10 play; Cook's tenacious touchdown run mentioned above; and the special teams fumble forced by Mike Boone and recovered by Dan Chisena.