Vikings are living and dying by Justin Jefferson
The Minnesota Vikings have run 40 plays this season involving Justin Jefferson and gained 396 yards. For the less mathematically inclined, that’s 9.9 yards per play. On all non-Jefferson plays, the Vikings are gaining just 3.9 yards.
Right now the Vikings are a Justin Jefferson offense and that was never more apparent than on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints when the ace receiver gathered 147 of Kirk Cousins’ 273 passing yards, including a monster 39-yard reception that set up the eventual game-winning field goal by Greg Joseph.
“No matter what we had to do today, within reason… we were going to get [Jefferson] going,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said.
It was evident from the start that the Vikings wanted to avoid a third straight underwhelming showing from Jefferson, who managed only 62 yards combined against Philadelphia and Detroit in Weeks 2 and 3. The first pass of the game was a quick screen to Jefferson for 10 yards.
Early in the second half Jefferson helped extend the Vikings’ lead to 16-7 with a 41-yard crossing route that set him up with first-and-goal. Jefferson even got a handoff at the goal line which resulted in the Vikings’ lone second-half touchdown.
But the big day for the Pro Bowl receiver didn’t go totally smooth. When Cousins threw a 1-yard pass to Adam Thielen on third-and-goal from the 7-yard line, the NFL Network cameras zoomed in on an agitated Jefferson and noted that Cousins went and sat next to the receiver on the bench after the play to cool things down.
“Twice I think Justin was open for touchdowns and we didn’t connect,” Cousins said. “Checked it down to Adam once. I thought the corner was sinking and he wasn’t. The other, threw it earlier than I wanted to and didn’t see Justin put his foot on the ground. He ended up separating. I think if I just let him more, it’s a touchdown. The plays are there to make and we didn’t connect. That’s disappointing.”
Last week versus Detroit O’Connell acknowledged a conversation with Jefferson on the sideline after they struggled to get him the ball.
“I spent a lot of time with J.J. over the last couple weeks, just continuing to tell him how much I appreciate the leadership that he’s shown by not allowing that frustration to affect not only his play but our offense,” O’Connell said Sunday.
Jefferson is juggling a lot at once. Before the season he set the bar for 2022 at being considered the undisputed best receiver in the league. He’s also up for a contract extension after this season and is clearly getting more attention than he did in 2020 and 2021 from defenses and the outside world. He is aware that every time he throws his hands up in the air, it’s going to be perceived as being upset with the quarterback or play calling.
“I definitely wasn’t a vocal player my first two years in the league… Now going into my third year, playing the way I’ve been playing, [Kevin O’Connell] definitely wanted me to take on that leadership role,” Jefferson said. “Not getting frustrated, not having those temper tantrums on the sideline when I’m not getting my way, that all plays a part.”
“I’m going to be frustrated, but I’m going to keep that to myself,” Jefferson added. “At the end of the day, if somebody’s double-teaming me, I can’t really do too much about that.”
Overall Jefferson’s results through four games are a shade better than 2021. He has 28 catches for 393 yards and three total touchdowns versus 26 receptions for 338 yards and three touchdowns last year. But the conversation surrounding Jefferson isn’t so much about his numbers as whether he can put up big numbers. It’s more about whether they can live on his big plays and if they can find ways to get everyone else involved while opposing defenses focus on Jefferson. The longest pass to anyone not named Jefferson in London was 16 yards. The third longest was a throw from punter Ryan Wright to rookie receiver Jalen Nailor.
“There’s just a lot to clean up still, similar to coming away after the Lions game with a win,” Cousins said. “You feel great about the win, but you also feel there’s a lot you leave out there. We’ve got to get better. I’ve got to get better. That’s where our focus is.”
Adam Thielen caught eight passes on the day but gained only 72 yards and KJ Osborn was targeted only two times and grabbed one for six yards.
“We’re a long ways away,” Thielen said. “With the new system, new coaches, new staff, new organization, we’re a long ways away… it’s a really long season, but we got to have a little bit of a sense of urgency to kind of go correct ‘em and not keep making the same mistakes and hurting ourselves kind of game after game.”
While the Vikings need other receivers/tight ends to take advantage of the attention on Jefferson, it has also become evident that they still thrive more when the running game is rolling. Against the Saints a banged-up Dalvin Cook gained just 76 yards on 20 carries and the Vikings did not have a run of more than 15 yards. They totaled just three rushing first downs and went 5-for-14 on third downs.
On Sunday the Vikings left England with a win and they return to Minnesota to face an opponent that has struggled to put up points in the Chicago Bears. The victory and favorable schedule give them more time to sort out how Jefferson can be the centerpiece — but not the only piece — of the Vikings’ offense.
“You have to find ways to just be gritty and grind things out, respond when things don’t go your way," said Cousins. "Certainly we think we can play better, too, maybe give ourselves a better chance as well.”
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