Justin Jefferson put the NFL on notice this summer, when he declared it was his intention to be considered the league’s top wide receiver by the end of the season. Jefferson quickly took a stride toward accomplishing that goal by catching nine of 11 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-7 victory over Green Bay in the opener.
But if the Packers failed to take Jefferson seriously enough on Sept. 11, the Vikings’ next two opponents, Philadelphia and Detroit, weren’t about to make the same mistake. The Eagles put Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay on Jefferson in Week 2 and held him to six catches for 48 yards on 12 targets in a 24-7 loss.
The Lions followed that by putting double and triple teams on Jefferson, and also had corner Jeff Okudah, the third pick in the 2020 draft, pay special attention to the 22nd selection in the same draft. Jefferson’s final line: Three receptions on six targets for a career-low 14 yards.
That was the downside. The upside was the Vikings twice rallied from double-digit deficits for a 28-24 victory that came on Kirk Cousins’ 28-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Osborn was wide open in part because the Lions were far more concerned about Jefferson.
“It’s frustrating, for sure, but I asked for it,” Jefferson said. “Just playing the way I’ve been playing. Just being the type of player that I am. Those double teams and triple teams are going to come. But that’s the luxury of having Adam (Thielen) and K.J. on the other side.”
Thielen finished with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, and Osborn had five catches for 73 yards. Jefferson’s assessment of the value of drawing defensive backs to him is spot on, but one of the reasons the Vikings hired offensive-minded coach Kevin O’Connell this offseason was to make sure Jefferson never became a forgotten man.
The 23-year-old is one of the NFL’s most dynamic wide receivers, and getting the ball in his hands remains incredibly important for O’Connell. O’Connell estimated that of the 72 offensive snaps Jefferson participated in on Sunday — 100 percent of the plays — there were “about eight or nine where he didn’t have some variation of a double.”
That’s a tremendous nod to the respect Jefferson commands, and a big-time challenge for O’Connell to outsmart opposing defensive coordinators. Sunday’s lack of production isn’t (yet) reason for panic, but it has sent O’Connell and his offensive coaching staff back to the film room.
O’Connell talked this offseason about how Jefferson would be the Vikings’ version of Rams star wide receiver Cooper Kupp. O’Connell was the non-play calling offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion Rams last season and watched Kupp lead the NFL in receptions (145), targets (191), yards (1,947) and touchdown catches (16) en route to winning the Super Bowl MVP.
The Rams move Kupp around pre-snap in an attempt to confuse defenses and draw out their intentions. O’Connell sees no reason he can’t do the same with Jefferson. But three games into the season, it hasn’t been as simple as some believed.
“It’s one of those things with great, great players in this league and the coaching that goes on, they do things to try to take away what you do best,” O’Connell said. “And the way we were able to run the football, the way we were able to get Adam and K.J. and some of these other guys ops in the passing game is because of Justin Jefferson dictating a lot of coverage, dictating how runs are fit, dictating how they play on the edges. Justin had a huge impact on (the Lions) game. It just didn’t show up in the stat sheet.
“But that’s not good enough. I have to do a better job giving Justin different aspects of lining up in different spots, different personnel groupings, whatever I need to do to help him because he’s an ultra-competitor, and we’ll get him going.”
Jefferson, to his credit, did not pout after Sunday’s game. In his two-plus NFL seasons, he has shown no signs of turning into a prima donna wide receiver. But he also is up for a massive contract extension after the season and being a decoy isn’t the best way to cash in.
“We’ll just keep trying to see week-to-week how teams defend him and take advantage of opportunities when we can,” Cousins said. “I think the key will be offensive production, regardless of who’s getting the ball. I think it will be important that we are moving the football and scoring points really is what matters. However, we do that is great by me. But certainly, it would suggest that if Justin’s there he’s a great option to try to do that.”
The Vikings will face New Orleans on Sunday in London, and, if the Saints follow the blueprints set by the Eagles and Lions, they will have standout Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore on Jefferson most of the game. That will present another test for Jefferson and O’Connell in what promises to be a weekly cat-and-mouse game that will test both player and coach.
“It’s definitely difficult to keep my cool during that moment,” Jefferson said. “Of course, I want the ball. Of course, I want to be a play-maker, do stuff for my team. But when (the double and triple teams) come, I can’t do too much about it. Just listening to the play calls, doing what I’m told and K.J. and Adam getting wide open because they are getting those one-on-one coverages.”
Credit Jefferson for saying the right things. But the bigger credit will go to O’Connell, if he can find a way to get Jefferson away from all of this attention.
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