“F**k it, Darius Slay down there somewhere” , "Slay had Justin Jefferson in handcuffs" - NFL fans rip into Kirk Cousins and Jefferson for dismal MNF outing against Eagles

Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings were riding high after dismantling their divisional rival the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. Jefferson in particular did whatever he wanted, with nine catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Coming into their matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, many expected the duo to hook up for big plays once again. Darius Slay and the Eagles, however, had other plans.

Cousins had a particularly bad game, throwing for 221 yards with three interceptions. Jefferson also failed to make his mark, with just six catches for 48 yards on the night.

Slay had two interceptions as the Eagles' secondary completely shut down one of the NFL's most vaunted passing offenses. It was a shocking display on national television that cemented the Eagles as legit contenders. It also raised questions about the Vikings. NFL fans took the opportunity to blast the Vikings and their quarterback and wide receiver duo.

The Vikings will try to rebound against the Detroit Lions next week and the Eagles hope to stay unbeaten against the Washington Commanders.

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Why were the Eagles able to shut down Justin Jefferson?

Minnesota Vikings v Philadelphia Eagles

By all accounts, the former LSU product is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He's produced like not many others have and routinely makes opposing defenses look silly. That's exactly what he did against the Packers, running wild all day en route to a career day. The Packers have a highly rated defense, so why weren't they able to stop the Vikings wide receiver?

There are a lot of stipulations to consider when evaluating an individual game's performance, so there's no clear answer. But there is one big reason why Jefferson ran wild last week and didn't get anything here: the opposing corner.

Minnesota Vikings v Philadelphia Eagles

Both Slay and Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander are among the league's best, but only one of them spent a lot of time on the Vikings star. Alexander expressed his confusion after the game last week as to why he wasn't guarding Jefferson.

Slay guarded him most of the night and pretty much shut him down. Having an elite cornerback shadow the best receiver can be a recipe for success, as it was for the Eagles last night.

The Vikings offense, especially their stud wide receiver, will be fine, but the Eagles might have given other teams a look at how to defend them better. We will see if that's the case when the Vikings welcome the Lions in Week 3.