Just Like That, Justin Jefferson Leads the NFL in Receiving Yards Again

Jefferson set a career high with 12 receptions in Sunday's win over the Bears.

Remember when Justin Jefferson had a combined nine catches for 62 yards in the Vikings' second and third games of the season?

Me neither.

Jefferson exploded for the third time in five games in the Vikings' victory over the Bears on Sunday, piling up 91 yards in the first quarter on his way to a 154-yard day. It was his third game this season with at least 140 yards and the eighth time he's reached that mark in 38 career games. Jefferson set a personal best with 12 catches, dove to the pylon for a two-point conversion, and even completed the third pass of his career when he threw a ball back across the field to Dalvin Cook.

That makes it three massive games to two quiet ones for Jefferson, who sits atop the NFL's receiving yardage leaderboard, 20 yards ahead of Cooper Kupp and 23 yards ahead of Tyreek Hill. Jefferson has 547 receiving yards in five games, putting him on pace for 1,860.

It really feels like Jefferson is going to break some Vikings single-game receiving records sooner rather than later. He's gotten off to a couple incredible starts this season at U.S. Bank Stadium, but has subsequently cooled off in the second half in part due to defensive adjustments.

Back in Week 1 against the Packers, Jefferson had six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns at halftime. He finished with 184 yards. On Sunday against the Bears, Jefferson had 91 first-quarter yards and had ten catches for 138 yards at halftime. He finished with 12 and 154. It's happened a few times in the past two years, too.

All I'm saying is neither Rickey Young (15 catches) nor Sammy White (210 yards) should feel particularly comfortable with their Vikings single-game records, both of which were set in the 1970s.

"I think probably a little less single high, a little more split safety," Kirk Cousins said regarding the Bears' adjustments against Jefferson. "Maybe a few more pressures here and there, and the rush got home a couple times in the second half." The Vikings also simply didn't possess the ball nearly as much after the break.

Jefferson was a huge part of the Vikings jumping out to a 21-3 lead behind a team-record 17 straight completions from Cousins. He caught four passes for 55 yards on Minnesota's opening drive, getting wide open off of play-action with ease. Jefferson came a yard away from scoring a touchdown on that drive, but Dalvin Cook punched it in to put the Vikings on the board.

On the Vikings' second drive, Jefferson had another three catches for 36 yards, again getting the offense near the goal line where Cook was able to finish off the drive. He was a chain-moving machine against an overmatched Bears cornerback group featuring Kindle Vildor and rookies Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Jones.

By drive No. 3, the Vikings' offense was almost toying with the Bears. Jefferson used a patient release and accelerated past Jones for a 31-yard gain on a go ball, his longest reception of the day. Then Kevin O'Connell broke out some trickery. On third and 10, Cousins threw a backwards pass to the left to Jefferson, who whipped a forwards pass back across the field to Cook for what turned into a 23-yard gain.

It was the third career completion for Jefferson, who is confident in his arm.

"I love it," he said. "It’s a chance for me to show off my arm a little bit. I wish he would’ve scored, but of course I like the completion, especially on third down."

Jefferson only caught a couple passes in the second half, but he drew a defensive holding penalty on a fourth down and made a highly athletic play to score the two-point conversion that put the Vikings up 29-22 late in the game.

It's safe to say those two quiet games are a distant memory at this point. With 301 yards over the past two weeks, Jefferson has left no doubt that he's one of the best receivers in the league and is going to be a force all season long.

Next up for the Vikings is a trip to Miami to face the Dolphins in a game that will feature the two leading receivers in the NFL. Jefferson (3) and Hill (2) are the only players with multiple 140-yard efforts this season.

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