Matthew Coller: Jefferson's tribute to Moss is a signature moment of 2024

Vikings' moving support for Randy Moss will stand out in memorable season.

Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) reacts after dropping a pass against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

MINNEAPOLIS — You can name them all from years past. Those flash points in any winning Minnesota Vikings season that stand out in your memory. The Buffalo Game. The Comeback. Favre’s throw against the 49ers. Moss on Thanksgiving.

On Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, Justin Jefferson’s moving touchdown celebration was added to the list of moments for the 2024 Vikings season that will stand out for many years to come.

In the first quarter, the Vikings defense came out looking to set the tone against rookie Caleb Williams, who had given them plenty of problems the last time the two teams faced off in Soldier Field. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard sacked Williams and forced a fumble, which the Vikings recovered.

They took advantage of the defense’s takeaway by moving the ball to the red zone behind two explosive Aaron Jones runs. Chicago’s eyes were in the backfield when Darnold faked a handoff and then flipped the ball to the back of the end zone, where Jefferson was waiting for a touchdown.

As he went into his traditional Griddy celebration, Jefferson went up to the camera man and yelled, “We love you, Randy.”

Jefferson was paying homage to Vikings legendary receiver Randy Moss, who announced a battle with cancer this week.

“I definitely wanted to give a tribute to him…definitely gotta show that love to him. I’m grateful for what he’s done for this game and what he had done for me as a kid just watching him and being a fan of him,” Jefferson said while wearing a Moss jersey in his postgame press conference. “I texted him and wished him the best of luck… I will always have him in my prayers. The effect he has on people — not just me but the whole world — is outstanding.”

Prior to the game, the Vikings had fellow members of the famed “Three Deep,” Cris Carter and Jake Reed on the field as honorary captains. They held up a Randy Moss No. 84 jersey during the coin toss to show support for Moss’s fight.

Oct 4, 2024; Watford, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings former receivers Cris Carter (80) and Jake Reed (86) at NFL flag football event at The Grove. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“Seeing those guys, those are the guys before us,” Jefferson said. “They were brothers when they were playing and they still are. It’s great to see the amount of love that they still have for each other. The tribute was amazing. I loved it.”

The Jefferson touchdown celebration and pregame tribute strikes at one of the reasons the Vikings have been able to win 12 games and far outperform expectations. They have bonded together under head coach Kevin O’Connell in ways rarely seen in pro sports. This week, O’Connell discussed with the staff how they could show their appreciation for Moss.

“I think it was important,” O’Connell said. “We talked internally this week about what we could do to show our support, our love for Randy. Everybody knows he is a former teammate of mine, but most importantly you can feel the love for him in this building tonight. It's great to have C.C. and J. Reed here to carry his jersey out there. It was a heck of a moment….He means the world to this organization.”

Moss wrote on Twitter/X in response to Carter and Reed’s tribute, “LUV U ALL.”

“We're behind him every step of the way,” O’Connell continued. “We care about him….we just wanted to do whatever we could with the platform on Monday Night Football to make sure -- hopefully he was watching are, and if it gave him any joy at all, it was well worth it because that's how we feel about him.”

Coincidentally, the last time the Vikings had a start that was 12-2 or better was when Moss was playing in 1998.

In the locker room, players preached moving on quickly in a short week. They face the Seattle Seahawks on the road on Sunday so there isn’t much time for anyone to reflect on the everlasting moments.

“Happy with where we're at, 12 wins at this point in the season,” O’Connell said. “We need it to keep pace with where we want to be. It's going to be incredibly competitive down the stretch here, and we're going to have to play well and continue to improve chasing our best football.”