After a Quiet Period, 1 Vikings WR Had a Huge Day
The Minnesota Vikings have a strong history of wide receivers led by the all-time greats and Hall of Famers Randy Moss and Cris Carter. But even in the last decade, the Vikings have employed some outstanding players like Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
After a Quiet Period, 1 Vikings WR Had a Huge Day
It’s Justin Jefferson’s team nowadays, and he is paired with an electric wingman in Jordan Addison. The duo is a nightmare for defensive coordinators because they need to allocate a significant amount of resources to stop Jefferson, but Addison is good enough to punish defenses when he’s not receiving enough attention.
On Sunday, both had some success, combining for 14 catches, 161 yards, and a touchdown. In some key moments, however, quarterback Sam Darnold targeted the club’s third receiver, Jalen Nailor.
The speedy wideout was the offseason breakout candidate in back-to-back years for the Vikings, but, in 2023, injuries prevented him from building on his strong rookie season. This year is different.
Nailor started the season hot, scoring in each of the first three games. In the first seven contests of the campaign, Nailor caught 14 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns, looking just like the WR3 they were looking for.
After that span, though, the former sixth-rounder disappeared. In the next eight games, he only registered six catches for 51 yards. At least he added a pair of scores. But there’s an explanation. Tight end T.J. Hockenson made his comeback in the first game of that span, and the Vikings simply implemented him into their gameplan, costing Nailor touches.
It’s hard to feed four targets in the passing game in addition to having a solid rushing game and a running back that can catch. At the end of the day, there are only so many passes thrown in a game.
However, he reemerged on Sunday. Quarterback Darnold targeted him five times and he caught all of them, turning them into 81 yards and a touchdown. He made a couple of big catches on crucial downs and showed his speed by getting past Green Bay’s secondary for six points.
In June, head coach Kevin O’Connell said about the guy the Vikes drafted in his first offseason with the team: “That third receiver spot is going to be very competitive. There’s a bunch of guys that had really good springs. I mean Jalen Nailor had another really good offseason program. … When he’s healthy and on the field, he shows up every single opportunity he’s gotten. That’s our challenge to him is sometimes things are out of your control and then we understand that, but for him to take that next step, we’re gonna need to see him out there a lot as part of that group.”
Indeed, staying healthy has been a huge problem for the receiver in his entire career. A leg injury, a hamstring injury, and a concussion limited him to only six games and three receptions in 2023.
But even before that, injuries were an issue in his time at Michigan State. He only played 28 games in four seasons with the Spartans.
The good news is that he is a talented guy, and when he’s healthy, he can help the Vikings stack wins. In the 2024 season, Nailor has played in all 16 games. His season numbers of 25 receptions for 361 yards and six scores all demolish his output from the last two seasons combined.
A team can never have too many options in the passing game, and the fact that the WR3 can be trusted makes the trio of Hockenson, Jefferson, and Addison even more dangerous.
Nailor will turn 26 in March and is under contract for one more season.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt