NFC Notes: Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

• ESPN’s Courtney Cronin notes that while Bears S Eddie Jackson has been a lot more productive this season after a lull of a few years, there is an out in his contract next offseason where the cap savings will exceed the dead money. 
• Cronin points out the Bears haven’t been shy to take on big dead cap hits for players they don’t see a long-term future in Chicago for, so Jackson is a potential cap casualty to watch this offseason. 

Packers

• Packers WR Randall Cobb on being close with recently released WR Amari Rodgers: “I love the kid. He’s a great kid. He goes about things the right way. He prepares the right way. He put in the extra work, but this is a production-based business.” (Matt Schneidman)

Vikings

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell had a ton of praise to give around after Minnesota’s thrilling comeback win over the presumptive Super Bowl favorite Bills in a wild Sunday afternoon. Tons of players had big plays as the game’s outcome swung back and forth, but the play of the day might have been WR Justin Jefferson‘s outstanding one-handed grab on a fourth-and-18 to keep the Vikings alive in the fourth quarter. O’Connell added that overshadowed a lot of other great plays Jefferson made. 

“And very few people will talk about it with some of the other plays that he made in that game, but Justin Jefferson blocking the safety on that [81-yard TD run by Dalvin Cook] and springing that? That was a huge moment for Justin in the game. And then he followed that up by putting an exclamation point on it with some once-in-a-long-time catches and fourth-down plays and third-and-longs, and you just can’t say enough about him,” O’Connell said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

“…A lot of receivers in this league don’t always do those things on every snap. And for him to show up in a moment like that, the team needed it. Nobody’s going to be talking about that block, but he was willing to go in there and be the determining factor to give Dalvin that edge.”

O’Connell also gave a shoutout to veteran CB Patrick Peterson who had two huge interceptions of Bills QB Josh Allen, including one in overtime to help seal the win. 

“He made that play in a quarters alignment,” O’Connell said. “They’re trying to attack that coverage, and he’s able to understand how much space there was and undercut that route and make a play on the football. What he’s done in our scheme is he’s really applied all of his experience of being a top-tier corner in this league for a long time. I do believe he still is. He’s applied all that experience to this and to playing in this scheme now. And he’s leading in a way where he’s one of the huge reasons we’re 8–1 and he’ll continue to set the standard for our team as far as being a professional, and trying to bring his teammates along with him. I’m so proud of Pat.”