If given the chance, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said he “would not change” the third-and-short play call early in the third quarter that sent wide receiver Justin Jefferson sprinting downfield against what became single coverage from Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
O’Connell said he “spent a lot of time thinking” about the decision afterward.
Jefferson and Humphrey’s feet got tangled, and Jefferson fell to the turf. Humphrey intercepted the ball, and the Ravens would take a 12-10 lead on the ensuing drive. They wouldn’t trail again in a 27-19 win at U.S. Bank Stadium.
After the game, quarterback J.J. McCarthy said he did not see Jefferson fall as he threw during the first possession of the second half.
“I got to do a better job keeping us in that game,” O’Connell said. “Spent a lot of time thinking about that third-and-1 call late into the evening. You know, zero coverage, Justin Jefferson in a one-on-one situation. ... Hundred times you call that play, you don’t think that one out of 99 where he gets tripped up and [it] ends up being an interception going back the other way.”
“Best receiver in football in a one-on-one with a run call you feel good about on fourth-and-one,” O’Connell added. “I would not change that call.”
