The NFL Network does a really good job of keeping its content fresh during the offseason by focusing on its players. One way they do that is letting players take over the programming for the day, and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson gets to do that on Tuesday, July 1st, with a bevy of purple and gold.
Justin Jefferson takes over NFL Network
It's a really cool thing for Jefferson to take over the NFL Network for the day and he's got quite an interesting lineup for us. What I found really interesting over the course of his 18 hours in controlling the programming is his choice of games.
The first game he chose was the big breakout game of his rookie year in 2020. Week three against the Tennessee Titans saw Jefferson catch a 71-yard touchdown and hit the Griddy in the NFL for the first time.
The second Vikings game he has on the list isn't one that Jefferson was even alive for, as it was Randy Moss' breakout game on Thanksgiving Day in 1998 when the Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys 46-36.
There were two more Vikings games that Jefferson decided to air on the day. In 2022, the Vikings beat the Buffalo Bills by a score of 33-30. Don't remember the game? You might remember the most famous catch in his career.
The other is a massive performance from Jefferson in week 11 of 2021 against the Green Bay Packers, a game the Vikings won on a last second field goal in a game thathe caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. It was a great game for the Vikings offense, and one that was massive in the building.
What ends up being really interesting is the other games that Jefferson picked. He chose the infamous New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys game where Odell Beckham Jr., who also went to LSU, made his incredible catch up the sidelines where he jumped up with one hand and scooped it out of midair.
The other is the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl win against the Indianapolis Colts. For a guy from Louisiana, this was probably a huge game for him as a kid. Luckily for Vikings fans, it's just the 30 minute condensed special from NFL Films at 4:30 CT, whereas the full game airs after midnight.
Get excited about Jefferson's takeover.
