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Kevin Seifert
Multiple Authors
EAGAN, Minn. — The play is commemorated everywhere.
It’s the central ink of a tattoo that covers Justin Jefferson’s left thigh. It’s depicted on a life-size Fathead wall sticker in coach Kevin O’Connell’s basement and in a photograph hanging on the wall of the Minnesota Vikings’ practice facility. There is a private-issue hoodie sweatshirt that cleverly incorporates Jefferson’s uniform number with what he agrees is the catch of his life: A leaping, one-handed grab to convert fourth-and-18 during a wild overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in 2022.
Several Vikings staff members will be wearing that sweatshirt Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC), where the Vikings and Bills will meet for the first time since Jefferson changed the course of his career. Already a two-time Pro Bowl receiver by then, at age 23, Jefferson went on to lead the NFL in catches and receiving yards while earning his first All-Pro honor and the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award.
His statistics have slipped in the past two seasons as the Vikings have transitioned through four starting quarterbacks, and players and coaches alike acknowledged his frustration during a 33-yard game Nov. 1 against the Detroit Lions. But even if he never returns to his previous production, Jefferson can rest assured that he long ago cemented himself in NFL history.
“If you talk about the greatest catches of all time,” said Vikings assistant receivers coach Derron Montgomery, “how can you leave out that one?”
ESPN spoke with Jefferson and 13 others who were in Buffalo that day to understand the inside story behind the catch, how those who experienced it absorbed its improbability and the ways it has impacted them since. Jefferson grinned throughout his interview and ultimately offered this succinct summation: “It was just so many things going on at one time.”
“An unbelievable moment,” O’Connell said. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live.”
Just throw it to @JJettas2
📺: @NFLonFOX https://t.co/iOzht9ddoU
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 13, 2022
The situation
The Vikings entered the game with a 7-1 record, having already won six one-score games and pulled off four fourth-quarter comebacks. On this day, the Bills held a 27-10 lead late in the third quarter before Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (brother of current Bills RB James Cook III) ran 81 yards for a touchdown to get them within 10.
Blake Brandel, left tackle: That game in general was absolutely bananas. Dalvin Cook hitting that huge run kind of jump-started it for us.
Blake Schroeder, Vikings assistant equipment manager: The entire year was kind of the same way. It was just like, “Here we go again. Let’s get one, then let’s get a stop, let’s get another.” And it kind of just went that way. And then it came down to that drive.
O’Connell: The game was just something else.
The playcall
Late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings cut the lead to 27-23, then got the ball back at their own 24-yard line with 3:26 remaining in the game. But on third-and-13 from Minnesota’s own 32, Bills pass rusher Von Miller beat right tackle Brian O’Neill to sack quarterback Kirk Cousins for a 5-yard loss. That made it fourth-and-18 from the 27 at the two-minute warning.
O’Neill: I remember being in a slight panic because the play before, Von had caught me. And you know that fourth-and-18 is kind of a prayer.
O’Connell: In 2022, I rarely told Kirk, “This is where the ball’s going.” But that happened to be one of the few where I called the play and I said, “No matter what, give Justin a chance.”
Jefferson: Kirk came up to me and said, “Hey, look, we’re going to have to throw this ball up to you and you just got to go make a grab.”
Harrison Smith, safety: I mean, throwing it up to Jets [Jefferson’s nickname] on fourth-and-18? That seems like the best option.
T.J. Hockenson, tight end: I remember hoping that he wasn’t going to throw it to me. On that play, I’m at, like, 6 yards past the line and so I would need 12 for the first down, and there’s guys right there. So, like, throw it up to Justin Jefferson for sure.
O’Connell: The concept of the play, we called “Pearls.” It had to do with the combination of the routes.
Cousins: It was somewhat of a stock play. It wasn’t a designed play just for that week. It was a play that we had repped many times.
Keenan McCardell, receivers coach: I remember the call, and I was standing there on the sideline with Jets. At the time I was like, “Jets, this ball is probably going to go up to you.”
The pre-snap
Jefferson lined up on the right side of the line along with Hockenson and fellow receiver Adam Thielen. K.J. Osborn was the sole receiver lined up on the left. For this play, Miller switched sides and was lined up over Brandel.
Brandel: That was my first time ever playing true offensive line reps in a regular-season game in the NFL. I had only played jumbo tight end to that point, but our left tackle, Christian Darrisaw, got a concussion in that game. So I came in during the second half. It was my third year. I’d only played jumbo tight end, and I’m finally getting to play. And I’ve got Von Miller off the edge on fourth-and-18, right after he had gotten a sack.
Jefferson: Lining up in that whole start of it, I’m just imagining me making the play. I knew the ball was going to come to me. So it was all about getting to that spot and going up there and making that big grab.
Schroeder: Usually I go into the locker room at the two-minute warning, just to get everything ready for coaches and players to come in so we can get out as quick as possible. But this time, I stayed to see what would happen.
Eric Kendricks, ex-Vikings linebacker: Especially late in games when we’re behind, I like to put myself above the first-down marker. Because it’s a superstition of mine that if I stand above the first-down marker, we’re going to get a first down.
Cam Lewis, ex-Bills safety: We’re in Cover 4 (zone defense with four defensive backs). In my head, I’m thinking I’m just about to go out here and make a play.
The catch
The ball was snapped. Jefferson ran a deep corner route. Hockenson stopped at the 30-yard line. Thielen ran to the sticks. Cornerback Taron Johnson sat on Thielen’s route as Lewis picked up Jefferson, with linebacker Tyrel Dodson in the vicinity. Osborn ran a dig over the middle.
O’Connell: I wouldn’t classify Justin as open on the play. [Lewis] was over the top, and another defender kind of underneath playing him, a little bit more of a matchy coverage. On fourth-and-18, you’re going to be hard-pressed to get any looks where you’re like, “Man, this is a great look for the play.”
McCardell: The defender sat on Adam, so the read was to throw to Jets. But either way, the ball is going to him.
Dodson: The Mike linebacker has anything in between the hashes. So Justin broke out. I look back and the quarterback is looking that way. I knew I had Cam Lewis there. So I was like, I don’t need to go full [toward Jefferson] because I know the player. If he went backside, I could get anything backside.”
Brandel: I had a chip [from Cook], and [Miller] still got on an edge on me. I kind of ran him by the pocket, and then our left guard at the time, Ezra Cleveland, had my back. He was very aware of the situation, so came and cleaned him up even more.
McCardell: So Kirk threw it. I’m looking at the ball, and I say to myself, “Big fella, you got to go up.” And then I jumped. I jumped when I thought he needed to go up. He goes up and I’m looking at it because I’m literally seeing him right here in front of me. I’m like, all right, all right. It’s going to be a tough catch.
Montgomery: I did a little jump, too.
Cousins: His attitude would always be, “Hey, just throw me the ball, I’ll make it right.” I look back now, and he was ready to kind of jump-ball catch it, which is probably the right approach. I was more throwing him to run underneath it. When he stopped to jump-ball catch it, the throw went too far because I was expecting him to keep running.
Marquis Johnson, assistant strength coach: That thing went up, and on the sideline you almost are at a loss for words. All you can say is, “Ooooh.” As intense as that game was, it’s almost like you get lost with sounds. No words, just facial expressions and sounds.
Lewis: Being a young player at the time, I should have just knocked it down, being that it was fourth-and-18, instead of trying to go for the interception. A little selfish on my part, but you live and you learn.
Jefferson: [Lewis] got up for sure. And I mean, he can see the ball. The ball is in front of him versus me leaning backwards in the air trying to catch the ball with my right hand. So it was me having to go backwards and jump higher than him, just meeting it at the highest point. But he kind of helped me out with holding the ball at that height.
Lewis: I didn’t see his hand in there. I thought I had the ball the whole time. Both my hands were on the ball. And I felt like I wasn’t aggressive. If I did want to pick it off, I wasn’t aggressive taking it away. I just let it sit up there.
Montgomery: As soon as you could see Justin’s hand up there, it was like, “Oh god, he’s getting ready to come down with it.” I mean, as soon as his hand was up, it was like, OK, there’s actually a chance. And I laugh about it because if you watch the video, I do a little jump but then my hand kind of cradles as well. Because I played receiver [at Iowa State]. So I’m thinking “OK, you catch the ball, you’re kind of trying to cradle it right away” and all that stuff.
McCardell: I was thinking the ball was going to roll, but [Lewis] is still trying to fight to grab it too, which he should. It’s instinct because you get your hands on it, you’re going to try to pick it off. Justin kind of jerked it away during the momentum of the fall.
Jefferson: [Lewis] had his hands on the ball, and that definitely helped me. For sure. But my thing about it has always been, which I don’t really understand and something that I really can’t explain, is how didn’t the ball hit the ground? I didn’t put two hands on it the whole time. I only had one hand on the whole entire time. So looking back at the video and seeing how close the ball was to the ground, but me ripping it away at the end, it was just crazy.
Lewis: He did a good job of having his hand on the ball, and when he came to the ground, he just pulled it down. It was just a good play by him.
Joe Davis, on the Fox broadcast: Oh my goodness. Justin Jefferson pulled it in! The catch of his life!
Johnson: The sideline just erupted for a few seconds.
Schroeder: I didn’t really react because I saw him get a hand on it and then there was the pile and I was like, “There’s no way he caught the ball.” Everybody was freaking out around me, and I remember still thinking there’s no way.
Jefferson: I didn’t know the whole impact of the whole entire play, what the ball was doing based on the ground. I just know once I hit the ground and I kind of looked away from him, the ball was in my hand.
Montgomery: Initially you don’t even have a chance to let it really sink in. I mean, Justin got up from the ground like it was nothing. I don’t even think Justin really realized in the moment what he just did. For him, he just went up to make the play on the ball like any receiver would try to do. And for us, in the moment, we’re like, “Oh great, he caught it. All right, first-and-10, back on the ball, let’s go.” We’re still down at that point. But for a few seconds, guys on the sideline went wild. I remember Eric Kendricks running onto the field.
Kendricks: You’re in the heat of the moment, but there’s a couple games, a couple plays that you vividly remember. I was standing right there and it happened to come right to where I was at. But I had a front-row seat of that.
O’Connell: I kind of knew where the catch point was going to be, and it ended up being right in front of me. But actually, my angle on it, I couldn’t quite tell for sure that it was an absolute catch. And so I immediately started telling the guys to get lined up [to reduce the chance of a replay review]. And started calling a no-huddle play. And then ultimately the guys upstairs told me it’s a catch.
Jefferson: For me, it was literally just on to the next. I know obviously they called it a catch, but I really was just thinking, “We got to go.” We were on the line. I’m not fully understanding if the ball hit the ground, if you know what I’m saying. So it was just, “Go.”
The reaction
The catch went for 32 yards and gave the Vikings a first down at the Bills’ 41-yard line. Although the possession actually ended in a failed quarterback sneak at the goal line on fourth down with 49 seconds remaining, the Vikings took the lead one play later when Kendricks recovered a Josh Allen fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Bills sent the game to overtime with a field goal, but the Vikings combined a field goal in OT with an interception of Allen to win it 33-30. Jefferson finished the game with 10 receptions for 193 yards.
Jefferson: After the game, it got crazy. Everything kind of blew up after that. Everyone on social media started posting about it.
Montgomery: After the game, I went to look at it on my phone. Instantly. It wasn’t until after the fact when you really saw it and saw how special it was. Now you’re processing it. He really did just catch that with one hand on fourth-and-18 going up horizontally in the air. I’ve been around football my entire life, and I’ve never seen a play like that. I mean to this day it is hands down the most unbelievable play I’ve ever seen in person.
Dodson: That’s why he’s Justin Jefferson. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks. He made a great play.
Cousins: One of the more memorable catches in maybe the history of the league.
O’Connell: Believe it or not, in my basement, I have a Fathead of that catch up on the wall. And I’ll be playing catch with my sons and they’ll literally go up and stand next to it and mimic the pose. And so it will live on in the O’Connell house forever.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, Courtney Cronin, Mike Kaye and Ryan McFadden contributed to this story.
