The 2023 season for the Minnesota Vikings was frustrating in many ways, particularly for star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson missed several games due to injury, and when he came back from injury, he came back to a team missing its top quarterback. Add to that a frustrating contract situation, and 2023 wasn’t a great year for the star receiver.
Still, Jefferson put up some great performances over the course of the year. Despite missing several games, Jefferson still topped 1,000 yards on the season and presented opposing defensive coordinators with matchup nightmares, particularly against zone coverage.
According to the team at PFF, Jefferson was the fourth-best wide receiver in the NFL last season against zone defenses, behind the Miami Dolphins’ duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and fellow NFC North receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Jefferson took advantage of soft coverages and found the clearings for whoever was throwing him the ball last season, and he did so at a high rate. Over the course of the season, Jefferson had 43 receptions against zone coverage for 641 of his 1,074 yards and three of his five touchdowns.
He also made five contested catches against zone coverage and forced five missed tackles, which resulted in his quarterbacks earning a 118.3 passer rating when targeting Jefferson against the coverage.
Now, with an off-season to fully recover from the injuries and with a new contract making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, Jefferson is likely to be just as effective — if not even more so — against zone coverages in 2024. The question is, will Sam Darnold and/or J.J. McCarthy be able to take advantage?