Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium opened with a national anthem performance that had plenty of fans reaching for the mute button before the game even kicked off.
John Jeffers handled “The Star-Spangled Banner” on electric guitar before the Minnesota Vikings hosted the Buffalo Bills, and ESPN later noted that Jeffers is a childhood friend of Vikings legend Adrian Peterson. That detail did little to soften the reaction online, especially with the performance landing just ahead of Veteran’s Day.
The criticism came fast and loud. One fan wrote, “@Vikings - an absolutely horrible national anthem.
Can we please stop doing the anthem on an electric guitar? Just for this I’m rooting against the team.
I grew up with,” while another said, “Bills Vikings National Anthem- I would take someone without teeth playing the National anthem on the spoons and this point in the NFL. Good Lord this bad,” said a second.
Another posted, “That was possibly the worst national anthem in 25 years. And on a week where we have Veterans Day no less.
Sad,” and one more added, “what in tarnation is this National anthem disaster at the Buffalo Bills Vikings game. must we ruin everything? @BuffaloBills @Vikings DO BETTER,” someone else asked.
Once the anthem was over, the crowd stayed plenty loud for kickoff, but the Bills had the last word on the field, rolling to a 23-6 win.
The night also marked Odell Beckham Jr.’s Vikings debut. Beckham joined the practice squad on October 7 after the New York Giants released him after three games.
Minnesota is the sixth stop of his 11-year career, and he had not made a catch in the NFL since 2024. He dressed for Monday night’s game but wasn’t targeted, finishing with zero catches and zero receiving yards.
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