Justin Jefferson reportedly told Kevin O'Connell he wanted to be as great as Cooper Kupp

"Why is Cooper Kupp wide open so often?"

The great Rich Eisen, who joined his own show from what looked like his hotel room, potentially provided the best analysis of any single team leading up to Week 5. 

Eisen is in London this week to cover the Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Jets game this Sunday. 

Like many football fans, nobody can ignore the Minnesota Vikings right now. They in no way should actually be this good. The opener against the New York Giants was more Daniel Jones' fault than the Vikings being actually that good, right? 

Whatever streak Sam Darnold is on is supposed to end soon anyway, and they'll be 8-9 by season's end.These are just a few theories that Eisen is here to tell you are just plain wrong. The Vikings are the real deal this year, and Eisen heard the story that proves just that. 

Eisen spent time with the team on his trip; he hung around Sam Darnold and picked up on his vibe and how Darnold is focused on the journey, not the result.

He highlights how Kevin O'Connell is an intelligent coach who has now put an intelligent coaching staff around him, with a team of players with high football IQ. 

Case in point: Justin Jefferson.

In a story O'Connell shared with Eisen, not long after the Vikings head coach took the job after winning a Super Bowl in Los Angeles, he got on FaceTime with the Vikings wide receiver.

Jefferson asked over the call, "Why is Cooper Kupp wide open so often?"

O'Connell told him that the Super Bowl-winning wide receiver understands every route in the playbook, so therefore, they could put Kupp anywhere on the field. 

 "That sounds hard," Jefferson replied. 

We have to remember that up until that point, Jefferson was in a Mike Zimmer system in Minnesota. A defensive-minded coach always runs first and passes second. Now, Jefferson had a coach who could show him how to play all different positions on the field, thus making him the receiver that he is today.

The Vikings wide receiver battled through injury last season and is back in the swing of things in 2024, having scored a touchdown in every Vikings game so far this season.

Out of 32 teams, only two remain undefeated right now. One is the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and the other is the Minnesota Vikings. Their challenge this Sunday from across the pond is the New York Jets.

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is familiar with beating the Vikings during his time as a Green Bay Packer. The difference is this is a Viking team that feels like they will be around for a while. Rich Eisen knows it, and so do we.