The Vikings and Jets are set to face off early Sunday morning for the NFL's London game, and tension may already be brewing.
Minnesota star Justin Jefferson is known for being one of the best wide receivers in the league, if not the best. He'll be opposite of New York star Garrett Wilson, who has made noise in his own right as one of the NFL's top up-and-coming pass-catchers.
The Jets suffered a blowout loss to the 49ers to open the 2024 season and the Vikings were next on San Francisco's schedule. When a reporter asked Jefferson how game planning for Wilson could help the 49ers' secondary gameplan for him, the Minnesota WR took a "respectful" jab at New York's No. 1 option.
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What did Justin Jefferson say about Garrett Wilson?
The 49ers stout defense held Jets star receiver Wilson to six receptions for 60 yards and zero touchdowns in the season opener, leading to a 32-19 blowout loss for New York.
With Minnesota next on San Francisco's schedule, a reporter asked Jefferson if the 49ers could take anything from their gameplan against Wilson to defend him.
"Yeah and no. Respectfully, I'm not Garrett Wilson. Teams play me totally different," Jefferson began.
"I mean, there's things that I can take from that game, for sure. Things that I can take from last year, how they played us last year. But, I've seen tremendous times, teams play me totally different when I'm on the field versus when I'm not out there on the field."
When you see the full quote, Jefferson's answer was indeed, "respectful." But taken out of context, it makes sense how the internet turned it into more of a shot at Wilson.
#Vikings WR Justin Jefferson on watching how the #49ers defended Garrett Wilson in week 1 to help prepare him for Sunday:
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) September 14, 2024
“Yes and no. Respectfully, I’m not Garrett Wilson. Teams play me totally different.” pic.twitter.com/Bfbdqm6SDT
For what it's worth, Jefferson ended up torching the 49ers secondary for four receptions, 133 yards and one touchdown in a 23-17 win.
Indeed, he is not Garrett Wilson.
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Justin Jefferson vs. Garrett Wilson 2024 stats
Jefferson has backed up his comments on the field so far this season, outpacing Wilson in yards and touchdowns through four weeks.
| Jefferson | Wilson | |
| 4 | GP | 4 |
| 20 | REC | 20 |
| 358 | REC YDS | 191 |
| 4 | REC TDs | 1 |
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Justin Jefferson vs. Garrett Wilson stats through two seasons
Since Jefferson has been in the NFL two years longer than Wilson, take a look at how their first two full seasons stack up against each other:
| Jefferson | Wilson | |
| 33 | GP | 34 |
| 196 | REC | 178 |
| 3,016 | REC YDS | 2,145 |
| 17 | REC TDs | 7 |
There really is no comparison, with Jefferson outpacing Wilson in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns despite playing one fewer game.
