Voltar
With the Buffalo Bills set to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, much of the attention has been focused on Josh Allen and the offense taking on the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
Allen is welcoming the opportunity for his team to prove itself, and there will be plenty of eyes on them with the game taking place on Monday Night Football. As for the other side of the ball, the Bills will be facing a backup quarterback in Carson Wentz with Kyler Murray sidelined by a hamstring injury.
There's a tendency to think a backup quarterback would make things easier for the defense, but Wentz is no pushover. He's a veteran quarterback with plenty of experience, and he's going into this game with plenty of confidence. He also has a plan, which is a smart one.
When asked about his offensive plan, specifically when it comes to No. 1 wideout Justin Jefferson, Wentz simply said he plans to "Just get him the rock." Wentz said Jefferson is as good as any receiver he's been around, and that's an accurate statement.
Jefferson is off to a slow start this season with 335 yards in six games, but that has more to do with the offensive struggles as a whole than anything he's doing. Even without eye-popping numbers, he's still someone who can explode in an instant, and has never recorded fewer than 1,000 yards receiving throughout his first six years in the league. That's why Buffalo defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard needs to be prepared to slow him down, especially if Wentz decides to force-feed him the ball.
Buffalo is well aware of the threat that Jefferson poses. The last time these two teams faced off was in 2022, and Minnesota won that showdown 33-30 in overtime.
Kirk Cousins led them to a win, throwing for 357 yards as the Vikings scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. His favorite target, unsurprisingly, was Jefferson, who had 10 receptions on 16 targets for 193 yards and a touchdown.
While both teams have changed quite a bit since that last meeting, two players who remain are Jefferson and Buffalo cornerback Christian Benford. They squared off quite a bit in that showdown and Jefferson clearly was the winner. That said, Benford was an unknown rookie selected in the sixth round, although he did have a big play in that game, recording his first career interception.
This weekend, Benford enters with much more confidence as not only the Bills' top cornerback, but he's now one of the best in the game. That's why he's likely to shadow Jefferson this week. Both players will have their wins and losses in the matchup, but Benford is easily Buffalo's best chance of keeping Jefferson from putting up video game numbers.