Jefferson makes history as 5th WR ever to amass 1,000 yards in first 12 games
Jefferson makes HISTORY as 5th WR to eclipse 1k yards in first 12 games
It’s becoming more and more difficult to quantify just how good Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson is. Despite being a misused afterthought the first two weeks of the 2020 season, Jefferson has been nigh uncoverable in the weeks since, putting up numbers that rookie wide receivers just don’t produce.
Case in point?
With over three minutes left in the third quarter Sunday Jefferson joined rarified air as just the fifth wide receiver in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 yards in their first 12 games in the league. Vikings legend Randy Moss, Anquan Boldin, Marques Colston, and Odell Beckham Jr. were the few that had done so previously, meaning that only OBJ and Jefferson are still in the league that have done so.
What’s even more remarkable is how Jefferson has done so. When compared to other great wide receivers, Jefferson has way fewer targets and catches than most.
Take this article from our very own Josh Frey. He compares Seahawks breakout star DK Metcalf, who people are increasingly comparing to Calvin Johnson.
Frey compares the rookie seasons of Metcalf, Johnson and Jefferson and… Well, I think you’ll notice the main discrepancy.
Receptions
Megatron 2.0- 58
Jefferson (so far)- 52
Megatron-48
Receiving Yards
Jefferson (so far)- 918
Megatron 2.0- 900
Megatron- 756
Receiving Touchdowns
Megatron 2.0- 7
Jefferson (so far)- 6
Megatron- 4
And here’s the kicker:
Targets
Megatron 2.0- 100
Megatron- 93
Jefferson (so far)- 72
That means that Jefferson is not only great, but amazingly efficient to boot. You needn’t force the ball Jefferson’s way for him to get his, something that is incredibly important on a team with a ton of stars at every skill position on offense.
The Vikings still are a “run first” team, after all, one with Adam Thielen/Kyle Rudolph/Irv Smith Jr. as well as Dalvin Cook. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is known to spread the ball around, and so it is as impressive as it is important that Jefferson is able to put up monster numbers when he isn’t the focal point of the offense each week.
With the Vikings looking to make the playoffs this season, they’ll need all hands on deck (assuming they win today) considering how close the past three games have been against inferior opponents and how their remaining games are all against better/trickier opponents.
The Vikings face the Bucs next weekend, then two divisional opponents in Chicago and Detroit, as well as the number one seed in the Saints.
With Jefferson playing the way he has, hopefully he’ll be able to break some rookie playoff records as well.