A New First Is Coming for Justin Jefferson
Ted Schwerzler
|
On Sunday, a new first is coming for Justin Jefferson. Just three years into his NFL career, Jefferson has done it all. He led the league in both receiving yards and receptions. The Minnesota Vikings superstar wideout can lay claim to being the best in the entire league, and he’s broken a handful of franchise records already.
Nothing about Jefferson’s career thus far should’ve been predicted. He wasn’t the first wide receiver selected, and he was drafted after the Minnesota Vikings dealt star Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills. Kirk Cousins knew he needed another weapon to get the ball, and Jefferson has hit every mark along the way.
One of the few things we have yet to see Jefferson do is play in a playoff game.
Certainly, it is not the fault of the former LSU star that Minnesota missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. 2020 was a weird year impacted by a pandemic, and Mike Zimmer’s team wound up finishing just third in the NFC North. Last season, the Vikings faltered down the stretch, and their 8-9 record didn’t have them positioned to make a run.
Now, with a 13-win season under their belt and one of the better offenses in football, Jefferson will have his chance to shine with the lights at their brightest. Of course, this shouldn’t be seen as something Jefferson will shy away from. At every opportunity, he has taken it upon himself to embrace the spotlight. He has known the records he was chasing, and he has owned it when performance has been sub-par.
Despite suiting up against the Chicago Bears for the Week 18 matchup on Sunday, Jefferson really wasn’t a focal point of the offense. Cousins looked the way of third wide receiver K.J. Osborn and got him involved to the tune of his second career 100-yard game. Jefferson wound up catching four passes for 38 yards and finished his season with a league-leading 1,809. The past two games have been anything but customary numbers for him, but a chance at the Giants again may provide some magic.
Although it was the 61-yard field goal that won a Christmas Eve game against New York last month, Jefferson did plenty of damage in his own right. The Vikings wide receiver hauled in 12 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. That marked the stretch of three-straight 100-yard games and was started with the 223-yard outburst in a loss to the Detroit Lions.
With the Giants having so recently seen Jefferson and the Vikings, there is no denying they’ll look to attack him differently this time around. Teams have had decent success providing safety help, but Brian Daboll’s secondary doesn’t have household names on the edges. No matter who lines up opposite of Jefferson, they likely won’t be giving him a follow treatment, and certainly aren’t going to be considered a shutdown corner.
The Vikings come into their home playoff game as favorites. No one wants to see another victory need to come from behind or be squeaked out at the end. The talented wideout can do his part to ensure a wider margin of victory and putting on a show the first time he plays in a must win contest is something to get excited about.
As a competitor, this is no doubt the action that Jefferson will get up for, and a guy that has always has the spotlight, will get an even bigger stage this weekend.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.