Justin Jefferson is pushing back on the claims made by Ja’Marr Chase that he “stole all my moves.”
Speaking with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on the “All Things Covered” podcast, Jefferson said his former LSU teammate knows he didn’t steal all his moves, and said the two play alike at all.
“He’s more of a physical deep threat type of receiver, I’m more of a shifty — I mean, I can do both. I’m more versatile. I can do mostly slot, mostly outside, I can do whatever you want,” Jefferson said. “I don’t think our game is similar at all. But I mean if he feels that I stole the moves from him, I’m gonna let him keep thinking that.”
“Ja’Marr know I ain’t steal NO MOVES from him … we don’t play nothing alike.”@JJettas2 responds to @Real10jayy__ saying he ‘stole all his moves.’ pic.twitter.com/hboUZtUVoR
— All Things Covered (@ATCoveredPod) August 22, 2022
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The former LSU teammates and friends have quickly become two of the best wide receivers in the NFL since arriving with the Vikings and Bengals. Jefferson set the NFL rookie receiving record at 1,400 yards in 2020, only for Chase to re-set the record with 1,455 in 2021. While Chase played in one more game than Jefferson, Chase had reached 1,429 through the first 16 games of his rookie campaign.
In an interview with CBS Sports HQ, Chase said he was the better wide receiver, and that because Jefferson went to the NFL earlier, he “stole all my moves.”
“He went first in the league and it looked like his moves,” Chase said, later acknowledging he was likely to get a call from Jefferson over his comments.
Ja’Marr Chase on who the better WR is — him or Justin Jefferson:
“Me… he stole all of my moves”
: @CBSSportsHQpic.twitter.com/4qwyskjTg2
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) August 4, 2022
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Jefferson and Chase each were part of a historic offense at LSU while playing alongside now-Bengals QB Joe Burrow. In 2019, Chase had 84 receptions for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore, while Jefferson hauled in 111 passes for 1,540 yards with 18 touchdowns en route to a national championship.
Jefferson went on to be selected 22nd overall in 2020 by the Vikings, and found immediate success in the NFL with 88 receptions and 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns. In his second year in the NFL, he hauled in 108 passes for 1,616 yards with 10 touchdowns.
Chase sat out his junior year at LSU during the COVID-19 pandemic, but still went fifth overall to the Bengals in 2021. He immediately brought back the chemistry with Burrow as the two connected for 81 receptions, 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. Chase won Offensive Rookie of the Year and was a key cog in the team’s run to Super Bowl 56.
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It would be hard to argue with Jefferson’s assessment of the games of the two receivers. According to ProFootballFocus, Chase had the sixth-highest grade on deep passes at 99.5, while Jefferson ranked 13th at 98.3. However, Jefferson graded out higher on intermediate passes, leading the league at 99.9 while Chase graded at 95.8, 42nd in the league. Chase had the edge in short passes at 94.1 (11th) to Jefferson’s 92.0 (39th), but overall, Jefferson’s 90.1 receiving grade placed him third in the league to Chase’s 84, 10th in the league.
Jefferson was also correct about his usage. He had 205 snaps lined up in the slot and 453 snaps out wide, while Chase had only 106 snaps in the slot and 506 out wide.
The two wide receivers have already established themselves as two of the best in the league. And with their friendly banter already in full effect, they’re going to be one of the most entertaining rivalries for years to come.
The post Justin Jefferson responds to Ja’Marr Chase’s claims as better WR: ‘I’m more versatile’ first appeared on Eatory.my.id.
