Justin Jefferson Ought to be A Purple Priority
K. Joudry
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An upcoming loss to the Chargers could lead to some important changes in Minnesota. For most, that will mean a different coaching staff the rest of the way. For others, that will mean shifting toward more of the young players as the team transitions toward a future-oriented approach for 2021. Heck, we may even see something dramatic happen at QB following the season. Allow me to suggest that one of the more important things Minnesota can do rests in ensuring Justin Jefferson is a top priority.
Making Justin Jefferson a Top Priority
Recently, LeeAnn took some time to go back to the Diggs trade that allowed the Vikings to pick Jefferson. In many ways, it’s a cautionary tale. The Vikings had a tremendous talent in Diggs, someone who could get open seemingly whenever he wanted to. Unfortunately, he wasn’t used enough and he didn’t trust Minnesota’s coaching & management, leading to him forcing his way out of town.
Minnesota needs to avoid anything similar happening with Jefferson.
Recently, Jefferson spoke with the media. He was asked about his role with the team and the lack of targets:
“It’s not something that I can really control. But I mean if Klint’s saying they want to get me the ball more, I’m all for it. All for making big plays for the team. Whenever my name’s called, going out there and making a play. If that’s more targets or less targets, it is what it is. The game goes different ways.”
Jefferson also addressed some of his frustrations with losing so many close games:
“It’s very frustrating. Pretty much every single loss that we’ve had was between 1 and 7 points. So it’s been tough. These are the worst losses, losing by those few little points. Playing our heart out and just losing at the end of the game. We’ve just got to find a way to finish a game. I feel like we played a pretty good game all the way until the end of the fourth quarter. So we’ve just got to find a way to get over that hump. It doesn’t have to be close. Just putting points on the board, not being conservative, and running up the score.”
Frankly, I couldn’t blame Jefferson if he was really frustrated with the current coaching staff. Somehow, Jefferson and Thielen continue to be underutilized. The Vikings have perhaps the best receiver tandem in the NFL; Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson often feel like they aren’t a priority for the offense. Folks, that can’t continue. Smart teams lean into their strengths. Doing anything except for magnifying the team’s strongest positions is foolish. It’s the sort of thing that could lead to several tough losses and a 3-5 record.
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The Season
Klint Kubiak, apparently, recognizes that he hasn’t done enough to prioritize Jefferson: “He’s well-deserving of getting the ball more. He helps us win games, so certainly every week we want to get our playmakers the ball. Him, Dalvin, Adam, those are our top playmakers. So we have to be more conscious of that.” It’s concerning to see the team’s OC needing to address these issues halfway through the year.
A loss to the Chargers would mean things are pretty much over when it comes to the Vikings’ playoff hopes. 3-6 is likely too big of a hole to climb out of. The focus, then, needs to shift toward future success. The current team identity rests in playing dominant defense and an offense that is balanced. The formula isn’t working. The defense isn’t dominant. The offense pursues an ideal at the expense of their strengths (see Jefferson, Justin; Thielen, Adam).
There’s a pretty good case to be made that Justin Jefferson – even though he hasn’t been a huge priority at times – is the team’s best player. 46 catches, 632 yards, and 4 touchdowns is nothing to be ashamed of through 8 games. Over 16-games, Jefferson would have 92 catches, 1264 yards, and 8 TDs. After all that has happened, Jefferson would still finish with WR1 numbers if he continues along his current pace. Plus, there’s a 17th game, a reality that could push Jefferson north of 100 catches and 1300 yards.
It’s also worth noting that he is currently ranked as PFF‘s 14th-best receiver. In other words, Jefferson is still a legit WR1.
The issue isn’t that Jefferson is no longer an effective receiver. Rather, the issue rests primarily with how the coaches are choosing to use their sophomore phenom. It’s easy for me to say, but the Vikings would be wise to ensure they’re featuring their trio of strong receivers in the Chargers game. Heck, doing so might just keep the season alive.
Purple PTSD Also Read: Justin Jefferson Has a Simple Goal in Year Three