Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson wasn’t thrilled despite his team’s 30-27 overtime win over the Chicago Bears on November 24.
Minnesota Star Tribune beat reporter Andrew Krammer took note of Jefferson’s mood in the locker room after a game that saw him catch just one pass through regulation and finish with two receptions for 27 yards — a season-low for the superstar receiver.
He admitted there was some “frustration,” but the win was all that mattered.
“I mean, I always want to have an impact on the game,” Jefferson said. “And I always want to create some spark for our team. Defenders, the way they cover and the way the game goes, it might not happen all the time. So, it’s frustrating at times. But we got the win and that’s all that matters.”
Teams selling out to stop Jefferson is nothing new. However, it’s become a concern as Jefferson has not had a breakout game in nearly a month. He hasn’t caught a touchdown in six weeks and is averaging 52 yards per game in his past three games — far below his expectations.
The cost of stopping Jefferson is steep. Jordan Addison had a career-high 162 yards receiving and a touchdown. T.J. Hockenson caught seven passes for 114 yards and Aaron Jones totaled 129 all-purpose yards. The Vikings offense finished with 452 total yards — its third time surpassing the 400-yard mark in the past four games.
It’s a game that should serve as a reminder of what happens if you commit too much to stopping Jefferson. Hopefully, that’ll open up opportunities for Jefferson going forward.
“We have a lot of firepower in this offense,” Hockenson said after the game. “But obviously ‘Jets’ is at the top. ‘Jets’ takes coverage from us to let us do our job. He may have had a down day. We didn’t have up days, we just did our job because they were taking coverage [to put] on him. So, they continued to keep a guy over the top of him.”
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Gets Brutally Honest About Defense’s Selling Out to Stop Jefferson
Ahead of the Vikings’ Week 12 win over the Bears, head coach Kevin O’Connell made a candid statement about the type of defensive coverage that is leveraged against Jefferson every week.
“I hope people understand, I watch football around the league. What he is playing against is different than what anybody else is playing against week in, week out. I have nothing but respect — we have some phenomenal receivers in our league — but I just hope people understand exactly what he plays against. I promise you folks, it’s not coachspeak. If you play pickup basketball, head down to the gym and have 3-out-of-5 guys cover you. That’s what people attempt to do every single week and Justin doesn’t blink,” O’Connell said. “We work through it together, and he makes play after play for us when we need it.”
While Jefferson had a quiet game in Chicago, he did come through when the Vikings needed him the most, catching a 20-yard reception on a dagger concept over the middle of the field in overtime.
Vikings’ 3-Game Homestand is Time for Jefferson to Get Right
Jefferson hasn’t had his best showings at Soldier Field over the years but has a homestand ahead that the Vikings can hopefully get him going.
Currently 9-2, the Vikings face the Arizona Cardinals (6-5), Atlanta Falcons (6-5) and the Bears (4-7) in the next three games at home.
Jefferson has 61 receptions for 939 yards receiving and five touchdowns this season. His 85.4 yards per game is a career-low mark, however, he still sits second in receiving yards behind only Ja’Marr Chase with 1,056 yards through 11 games.
