Jordan Addison's Breakout Game Helps Vikings Pull Off Upset Over 49ers
Three plays into Monday's game, Jordan Addison got bullied by a veteran cornerback.
The Vikings' 21-year-old rookie was running a slant route. The 49ers' Charvarius Ward — a 27-year-old in his sixth season who has 20 pounds on Addison — was playing press coverage. Making legal contact within five yards of the line of scrimmage, Ward bumped Addison off his path. When the ball came, the vet ripped it away from the rookie for an interception.
It was yet another turnover on the opening possession for the Vikings — their fourth in seven games. And even though Addison had gotten off to a strong start to his career, that specific play was one of the concerns that comes with drafting a 175-pound receiver in the first round.
As it turns out, this is no ordinary 175-pound receiver. This kid is special, and he showed that in the way he responded to losing that early rep.
Kirk Cousins went right back to Addison several times on the Vikings' next offensive possession. The two capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown, which was already the fifth of the rookie's young career. But it was what happened at the end of the first half that showed what kind of player the Vikings added to their roster in April.
Leading 10-7, the Vikings faced a third down from their own 40 with 16 seconds on the clock. Cousins dropped back, saw a zero blitz from the 49ers, and rifled a ball towards Addison on a post route. On a night where Cousins was brilliant, this was another rare throw that he didn't locate the way he wanted to. It was behind Addison, and it looked like Ward had secured his second interception of the night.
Then, in a blur, Addison emerged with the football. This time, in a battle with Ward, he was the one who had ripped it away. Seeing nothing but green turf in front of him, he took it all the way for his second touchdown of the night and his sixth in seven games.
"You ain't gon' get it twice," Addison said after the game. "No sir. I need all that. I couldn't let him get it twice."
Suddenly, the Vikings had a two-score lead at halftime. For Addison to bounce back and get his revenge on Ward in that fashion said a lot about who he is as a player, even just a couple months into his debut season.
"Physical and mental toughness," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "We ask him to do a lot. He did a lot for us tonight in the game plan, and you just take that end-of-half play that he makes and essentially, it's the same type of thing. For him to make that play on that ball, where it was, was a game-changing play."
"Listen, Jordan's been everything that I hoped for from the moment I cut on the tape of his time in college," O'Connell added. "But he's been more than that. He's been really taking on a role within our team, within our offense. He's earned an incredible amount of trust from Kirk and the rest of our guys. Jordan was fantastic tonight."
Addison had four catches for 95 yards and two scores in the first half. After the break, he caught three more passes — two of which resulted in conversions on third down — and drew two penalties. He briefly left the game due to cramps, but was able to return after getting an IV and make one last big catch to move the chains before the two-minute warning.
With Justin Jefferson sidelined due to injury, the Vikings need Addison to step up as their new No. 1 receiver. That's exactly what he did on Monday night in front of a primetime audience. Addison finished with seven catches for 123 yards and two scores, marking the first 100-yard game of his career. Not only are his six touchdown receptions three more than the next-closest rookie, he's only one behind Tyreek Hill for the NFL lead.
In nail-biting fashion, the Vikings pulled out an upset win over one of the best teams in the league. It doesn't happen without Addison's performance.
"I told him after the game, 'Hey, your play before the half won the game,'" Cousins said. "And then there's probably two more plays out there we can connect on for touchdowns, too. So it's exciting to see his potential and the playmaker he is. There's a lot of things about his ability you can't teach, and we're fortunate to have."
Every great player has that breakout game where they announce to the country what they're capable of doing. Jefferson's came against the Titans in Week 3 of his rookie season in 2020. Three years later, Addison's happened in the same building while his All-Pro teammate watched from the sideline.
The Vikings will be without Jefferson for at least two more games, and perhaps longer. In the meantime, they're going to keep leaning on the rookie who refused to let a veteran corner get him twice.
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