Jordan Addison tried to get Vikings to challenge deep ball on first play of game

The opening play of the game was ruled incomplete and the Vikings wound up running only three plays in the first quarter.

Author:
Joe Nelson
Publish date:
Nov 28, 2023 8:51 AM EST

Vikings rookie receiver Jordan Addison is adamant that the ball never hit the ground on the 50-yard bomb from Josh Dobbs on the first play of the game Monday night against the Bears.

Here's one angle of the play:

Here's another angle, which supports Addison's claim that the ball never hit the ground.

The pass was ruled incomplete as Addison appeared to catch the ball and then bobble it as he fought for possession with Bears rookie cornerback Terell Smith and veteran safety Eddie Jackson.

"That was a catch," Addison said, according to Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. "The ball never touched the ground. I tried to tell them but it was already too late, we lined up."

Had Minnesota challenged the ruling and won, it would've been a play of about 50 yards deep into Chicago territory. Instead, the Vikings wound up going three-and-out and they didn't run another offensive play in the first quarter, setting the tone for a sluggish night for Dobbs and the offense.

Later in the game, Addison had a bullet pass from Dobbs bounce off his hands for one of Chicago's four interceptions. The rookie receiver also could've walked into the end zone in the fourth quarter on a deep ball that Dobbs threw behind him, forcing him to turn back and catch the ball out of bounds.

"Couple weeks ago, I'd probably tell you it's going good," Addison told Krammer of his season thus far, "but now I feel like I ain't doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm not really proud of how I've been playing. I have to pick it up."

Addison finished the game with six catches on ten targets for 39 yards. The next time he takes the field he'll have Justin Jefferson on the field with him as Jefferson is expected to return for Minnesota's Dec. 10 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.