Vikings Receiver Can Join an Elite Club on Sunday
The Minnesota Vikings will face the Detroit Lions on Sunday in a season finale for the ages. The winning club clinches the division and has the advantage of a bye week in the first round of the playoffs and home games through the NFC playoff picture. The loser, however, has to play a road playoff game in the following week.
Vikings Receiver Can Join an Elite Club on Sunday
To beat Detroit, a team with an electric offense and a lousy defense, putting up points is vital for Kevin O’Connell’s crew. Finding the endzone rather than kicking field goals must be the goal on any given drive.
The good news is that quarterback Sam Darnold has been excellent at scoring touchdowns this year, as his TD total of 36 shows. However, he needs his pass-catchers to get open. Thankfully, the Vikings employ wideouts who can do that.
Justin Jefferson has torched Detroit’s secondary for years, tabulating an average of 182.5 yards per game in road games against the blue rivals. That could be enough reason for Detroit to put an end to it. Stopping Jefferson is tough, but he can be contained by sending numerous players his way.
That’s why a reliable WR2, who can feast when the attention is shifted toward Jefferson, is essential for Minnesota. Jordan Addison is that guy. He has been Jefferson’s wingman since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah acquired him with a first-round pick in 2023.
On Sunday, he can join an elite club and become only the fourth player in the last 40 years to record at least ten receiving touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. The others? Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, and Odell Beckham Jr.
Addison has been excellent this year, registering 62 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns despite missing a couple of games with an ankle injury. He also entered the season with a different ankle sprain suffered in training camp, but he has still been productive, especially recently.
In the last six games, Minnesota’s WR2 has collected 38 grabs for 516 yards and six scores. Scaled to a 17-game season, that would result in 1,462 yards and 17 TDs.
Working on his technique was his major point of emphasis in the offseason.
In May, he said, “My releases, that’s been the main focus for me, and I feel like it’s been paying off. My work is showing out there. Just having a plan once I get to the line (of scrimmage), being decisive and just making sure that I’m locked in on my releases. I feel like it’s going well so far. Last year, I wasn’t as confident in my releases, I wasn’t decisive, and I didn’t have a plan when I was coming up to the line. I was freelancing, trying to do what I could to make something work, but now it’s my focus (to have a plan).”
On the field, Addison has been sensational. More concerning are his off-field problems. Addison appeared in the news in July of both years he has been with the franchise due to car-related incidents. In 2023, he avoided a suspension. It remains to be seen whether that will be the case again. There’s a chance he has to watch a couple of contests from the sidelines next season.
Addison, 22, has become the WR2 the Vikings wanted. He and Jefferson have a case for the top spot in the WR duo rankings.
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