Justin Jefferson Explains What Made Him Feel “Sick” from the Week 15 Win
Overall, not a bad game for Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings’ WR1 was targeted 13 times by Sam Darnold, the second-most in a single game so far this season. The end result was 7 receptions for 73 yards and 1 touchdown. The issue is simply that one of those passes could have easily been completed — maybe even for a touchdown — if Jefferson didn’t drop the ball.
Justin Jefferson Feeling “Sick” About his Drop
Jefferson took some time for the media following the game.
The dropped catch got brought up and Jefferson didn’t hold back about how he feels. “I definitely will not sleep good at night thinking about that second touchdown that I could have had,” Jefferson notes. The receiver goes on: “Hey, man, please let’s [not] talk about it. I was beating myself up a little bit afterwards. Those are the easy ones.”
Jefferson’s didn’t stop there, venturing further into his thoughts about the missed opportunity.
“Always say,” Jefferson explains, “the opportunities are limited and you got to make the most of your opportunities. I’m definitely sick about that one […] it was a great route, a great throw by Sam. And I just took my eyes off of it.”
“Just got to finish the play,” Jefferson concludes.
Yet again, Justin Jefferson is having an All Pro season. He’s sitting on 82 receptions for 1,243 yards and 8 touchdowns. If the next three games go well for the WR1, then 100 receptions, 1,500 yards, and 10 touchdowns are well within reach. Helping his cause is a very healthy 15.2 yards-per-reception average.
In the league more broadly, Jefferson is 10th in receptions, 2nd in receiving yards, and in a tie for 5th for receiving touchdowns. All of this from within an offense where Sam Darnold is leading the charge, a passer who most had written off as being a draft bust.
Even more importantly, Jefferson is helping to lead his team to victory. Some teams have done everything possible to limit the damage Jefferson can do. At times, the strategy has been effective when it comes to limiting his yards. The only problem is that the other weapons — Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones, among others — all get the chance to go off.
Next up for Justin Jefferson and the Vikings is a road contest against the Seattle Seahawks. Winning that game will be pivotal if Minnesota is serious about taking the NFC. Ideally, there won’t be any sickening drops for Minnesota’s top pass catcher.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
