The Vikings’ Magic Number Sits at 190 Yards
The Vikings’ magic number is coming at 190 yards. Seeing Justin Jefferson earn any less over these coming four weeks would be a disaster.
If he doesn’t get those yards, Jefferson won’t clear 1,000 yards. Some of that, perhaps, falls on him since there are some catches he could have made but didn’t. But, to be sure, there’s the bulk of the blame falling on Minnesota’s quarterbacks and team more broadly. If Jefferson can’t clear the notable receiver benchmark — 1K yards — then Minnesota will have failed as a team.
The Vikings’ Magic Number for Mr. Jefferson (and the Team)
Left to his own abilities, Justin Jefferson would have much better statistics.
He has, in other words, won routes plenty of times but just hasn’t had the ball delivered to him in a productive manner. The modest receiving yards therefore represent a team failure insofar as it’s players around Jefferson who have prohibited him from climbing to his normal level of dominance.
Sometimes, J.J. McCarthy has forced the ball to his WR1. The results haven’t always been good, with several of the sophomore’s interceptions coming when targeting his top option.
Last week, McCarthy moved off Jefferson when the option wasn’t there. Good. Doing so represents a positive step forward even if the statistics from Week 14 — just a pair of catches for 11 yards — aren’t anywhere close to good enough for Jefferson.
In Week 15 onward, Justin Jefferson needs to be prioritized alongside McCarthy’s growth.
Kevin O’Connell’s task is going to involve concocting plays that allow his top option to shake loose as the No. 1 read within the young quarterback’s progression. Maybe that means more pre-snap motion. There could possibly be some bunch formations to try to get Jefferson some freedom from defenders trying to corral the complex jumble of Vikings pass catchers. Maybe that means force feeding him short passes so he can continue showing his effort and compete to charge ahead for first downs.
The season statistics have Jefferson at 64 catches, 810 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Those totals come in at 14th, 16th, and 98th in the league. Basically, low-end WR1 numbers when his abilities are those of being the NFL’s WR1, the single best receiver on the planet (with players like Ja’Marr Chase, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puca Nakua, and maybe a few others in pursuit).
Justin Jefferson, 26, needs to be the priority. Yes, he’s an individual, but he’s the team’s most talented individual. Keeping him around for the long-term needs to be the priority just as cultivating a connection between McCarthy and Jefferson needs to be the priority.
Kickoff is tonight at 7:20 p.m.
