Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings added his name to another entry in the NFL record books after his performance against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, December 1. What did he accomplish and how will his accolades be remembered?
Rarified Air
He is among four wide receivers in NFL history that have been able to get 1,000 or more yards every year for the first five years of his career. The other three wide receivers to accomplish this feat are the Minnesota Vikings’ own Randy Moss (who had six seasons from 1998-2003), Cincinnati Bengals’ A.J. Green (2011-2015), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans (who has had ten 1,000 yard seasons since he joined the league in 2014).
Six Different Quarterbacks In Five Seasons
Justin Jefferson’s record is even more impressive because of how many different quarterbacks have thrown him the ball over his short, prolific career. He was drafted 22nd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. Kirk Cousins, Sean Mannion, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall, and Sam Darnold have all completed passes to Jefferson over his career.
Cousins and Darnold
The Vikings have struggled to find consistency at the QB between Kirk Cousins’ Achilles injury and the beginning of this season. At least that was the case before Sam Darnold’s resurgence as a legitimate QB under Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s guidance. As long as Jefferson and Darnold can stay healthy for the rest of the season, this probably will not be the only record that Justin breaks or matches.
Recent Production
Jefferson had been in a bit of a slump regarding his receiving yardage over the past few games before the game against the Arizona Cardinals. He had 48 yards on 5 catches when the Vikings played the Jacksonville Jaguars. 81 yards on 6 catches against the Tennessee Titans, and 27 yards on 2 catches against the Chicago Bears. He bounced back with 99 yards on 7 catches against the Arizona Cardinals, which got him up to 1,038 receiving yards on the season. He still has five games left this season to add to his total as well.
What To Watch For Over the Rest Of the Season
The Vikings play the Falcons, Bears, Seahawks, Packers, and Lions to finish out the season. The Falcons are ranked 26th in pass defense and average just under 230 yards that they give up to the opposing team’s passing game. The Bears are 11th overall against the pass and average just under 210 yards to the opposition. The Seahawks are 15th overall, giving up an average of 214 passing yards per game.
The Packers are 18th overall with an average of 217 passing yards that they give up per game. Finally, the Lions are only ahead of the Falcons by one spot at 25th overall on pass defense and they average just under 227 passing yards that they give up to their opponents. By looking at these stats, you can see that 3 out of the 5 games that the Vikings have left are against pass defenses that are in the bottom half of the league. It is not a crazy idea to expect Darnold to continue his resurgence and get Jefferson involved early and often in those games as well.
