Tag: Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison named Vikings biggest in-season improvement by ESPN

Jordan Addison’s strong second half of the season has earned him the title of ‘team’s biggest in-season improvement’ according to ESPN.

Despite coming into the season with low expectations from most pundits, the Minnesota Vikings started the 2024 NFL season on fire. They came out and shocked most people, starting the season off with five straight wins, including wins over some impressive teams like the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers.

Then the wheels momentarily fell off, and the Vikings lost two straight games. Now, however, the Vikings have managed to right the ship and reeled off seven straight wins. A large portion of that is due to the emergence of wide receive Jordan Addison as a legitimate complement to perennial All-Pro Justin Jefferson.

Addison started the year off underwhelming to say the least. Before the season even started, Addison had run-ins with the law that created questions around him early in the season. Even after the season started, Addison wasn’t playing like it had. Over the first eight games of the season, Addison only had 19 receptions and just two touchdowns, missing two games in the process.

However, as the Vikings hit their stride again in the second half of the season, so did Addison. It is so much so that ESPN analyst Kevin Seifert has named Addison the team’s biggest improvement over the season. Since Week 9, Addison has exploded for 37 receptions, 540 yards, and six touchdowns.

That explosion in production has helped the Vikings score 30 or more points in three of their last four games and has the team in a great position to make a late-season run to capture the NFC North and the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Justin Jefferson gives Randy Moss a shoutout after touchdown against the Bears

After his touchdown on Monday Night Football against the Bears, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson let everyone know what was on his mind. 

The Minnesota Vikings came into their Week 15 matchup against the Chicago Bears with much on their minds. From knowing the Lions lost on Sunday to it being the debut of their whiteout uniforms, nothing can be more pressing than the health of their Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss.

After his touchdown on Monday Night Football against the Bears, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson let everyone know what was on his mind.

After the Vikings forced a fumble on a blindside sack by Jonathan Greenard, the offense drove down the field and got their first touchdown of the game. It was a pass from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson in the back of the endzone that they connected on.

After securing the touchdown and doing his usual griddy, Jefferson found the camera and gave Randy Moss a shoutout, reminding him that they got him and “love” him.

Randy Moss announced this week he was a “cancer survivor” after two procedures to remove a tumor between his pancreas and liver.

Justin Jefferson paid tribute to Randy Moss with a heartwarming TD dedication amid cancer battle

What a cool way for the Vikings to support Randy Moss.

This post has been updated with new information.

The Minnesota Vikings and their best player made sure franchise great Randy Moss felt the love after his recent cancer diagnosis.

After Moss shared that he had been receiving treatment for the disease, the Vikings brought back two of his former teammates, Cris Carter and Jake Reid, for Monday night’s home game against the Chicago Bears.

Carter and Reid took the field during the coin toss and held up Moss’ No. 84 Vikings jersey into the air as fans cheered “Randy!” in the stands.

Later in the game, Vikings superstar receiver Justin Jefferson shared his love for Moss and dedicated his first touchdown of the game to him on the ESPN broadcast.

Moss appreciated all the love.

These were such cool tributes from the franchise where Moss made his legend, as it’s clear the entire NFL is rooting for him in his recovery.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1371]

Vikings legends Jake Reed, Cris Carter honor Randy Moss

The Vikings and their fans have Randy Moss in their thoughts ands prayers

The Minnesota Vikings were hosting the Chicago Bears on Monday.

When it came time for the coin toss, Jake Reed and Cris Carter walked to midfield with the captains. The former wide receivers had an “84” jersey with them to let everyone know they are thinking of Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who is battling cancer.

Justin Jefferson caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter and after the score had a message for Moss, too.

Tom Brady reveals current NFL receiver he’d want to throw to the most

This duo would be unstoppable

Former New England Patriots quarterback and NFL legend Tom Brady recently revealed what current NFL wide receiver he would like to throw to the most during a segment with FOX Sports.

Brady has thrown to his fair share of legendary wide receivers, including players like Randy Moss, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

A recent fan question in Brady’s mailbag segment asked him what current player he would want to throw to, and his answer was none other than Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson. The star receiver is arguably the best in the game. He has 75 catches for 1,170 yards and seven touchdowns so far this season.

“Couple of tough choices out there. I know Ja’Marr Chase, what a year he’s having, but I’m saying Justin Jefferson,” said Brady. “He can do everything from any spot on the field. He goes deep. He goes short. He can catch the ball, catch and run, touchdowns, third down. He’s a ridiculous player. He reminds me so much of my former teammate and Viking Randy Moss.”

It would have been fun to see Brady throw to Jefferson. The two could have dominated the NFL to the point where it might have been similar to what Brady and Moss did to the league back in 2007.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Justin Jefferson gets the ultimate compliment from Tom Brady

The GOAT has spoken and it’s great for the current Viking receiver.

Fox commentator and arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, knows a thing or two about throwing the football to his weapons. Brady knows what it takes to be great, and he’s had his fair share of great players to throw the ball to. But who would he want to throw to if Brady were still playing in the NFL today?

Brady was asked on his podcast which current receiver he would choose to play alongside and throw the ball to.

“Great question. A couple of tough choices out there. I know Ja’Marr Chase, what a year he’s having, but I’m saying Justin Jefferson. He can do everything from any spot on the field. He goes deep, he goes short, catch the ball, catch and run for touchdowns. He’s a ridiculous player. He reminds me so much of my former teammate and Viking, Randy Moss.

There probably aren’t too many people out there who wouldn’t want to play alongside Jefferson.

Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson lead NFL receivers through Week 13

Two former LSU stars sit atop the NFL’s receiving leaderboard

Two former Tigers continue to set the standard at the receiver position in the NFL.

[autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag] rank No. 1 and 2, respectively, in receiving yards this year.

The top threat on the Cincinnati Bengals, Chase has 1,319 receiving yards, while Jefferson leads the Vikings with 1,170 receiving yards.

Chase’s success is due in part to his connection with a former Tiger. Heisman-winning quarterback [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] and Chase are the only duo in NFL history to connect for over 14 touchdowns in both a collegiate and NFL season. They accounted for 20 in 2019, the Tigers’ national championship season, and 14 this year.

Burrow ranks first in three NFL categories — passing yards (3,706), passing touchdowns (33), and yards per game (285.1). Chase also leads the league in three categories — receiving yards, receiving touchdowns (15) and catches (93). The Bengals aren’t living up to expectations this year, but Burrow and Chase aren’t to blame.

Jefferson’s feat may be just as impressive considering the star power on the Minnesota Vikings’ roster in both the pass and run game.

Despite seeing constant double-teams, Jefferson averages 90 yards per game. As the Vikings look to contend for the top spot in the NFC, Jefferson will almost certainly see an uptick in targets.

Through three seasons in Baton Rouge, Jefferson totaled 165 receptions for 2,415 yards and 24 touchdowns. In the national championship season, the St. Rose, LA native hauled in 111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. He averaged 102.7 yards per game, catching passes from Burrow.

Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase could make history in 2024

The former college teammates could set NFL history as Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase continue their memorable 2024 seasons.

It’s amazing to look back at the LSU Tigers having both Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase on the same team, but they did. In 2024, Chase leads the NFL with 1,319 yards, while Jefferson is in second with 1,170 yards.

If this stays the course and the two of them finish first and second, it would be the first time in NFL history that the leading two receivers went to the same college.

The Bengals are having a down year with all the excitement of Joe Burrow, Chase, and Tee Higgins. But even at 5-8 on the season, Chase has performed as well as anyone while he is searching for a big contract—whether that comes from Cincinnati or not is a different story.

The Vikings, on the other hand, are on fire. Sitting at 11-2 on the season, Minnesota is battling with the Lions to win the NFC North and get a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Justin Jefferson was so excited to reunite with Kirk Cousins in a wholesome mic’d-up exchange

All class.

Sunday’s Week 14 matchup between the Falcons and Vikings had to be an emotional game for Kirk Cousins. The Falcons quarterback was returning to the city where he played six seasons and passed for nearly 24,000 yards. Justin Jefferson also had a lot to do with that success.

Cousins wanted him to know just that.

While the Falcons struggled on Sunday in their fourth straight loss, Cousins and Jefferson made sure to meet at midfield at U.S. Bank Stadium for the most wholesome reunion. In mic’d-up footage from NFL Films, we were able to hear exactly what the longtime Vikings duo said to each other.

The moment Jefferson saw Cousins, he was so excited.

Cousins said in response, “Thank you for what you meant to me, man.”

Jefferson said back, “Always, same!”

That was true class, all the way around.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1371]

Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison achieve Vikings history together

Vikings’ wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison combined on Sunday to do something no other duo in team history had accomplished

The Minnesota Vikings have had a number of great receivers throughout their history. Cris Carter and Randy Moss are both Hall of Fame wide receivers and are widely considered two of the best ever to play the game. Jake Reed was an integral complement to Carter on a number of Vikings’ teams of the 90s.

In more modern times, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have contributed to some of the best pre-Justin Jefferson seasons and some of the best moments in Minnesota Vikings history — like the Minneapolis Miracle. And yet, despite all the greats who have put on a Vikings’ uniform at the position, the current duo of receivers achieved something on Sunday that no tandem in Vikings’ history was able to.

With both Jefferson and his counterpart Jordan Addison having breakout days on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, ruining Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota, they became the first duo in Vikings history to both have 100+ receiving yards and two touchdowns in the same game.

To take their accomplishment a step further, they became just the fifth duo in NFL history (in the Super Bowl era) to each have over 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns in the same game. The display was the clearest sign yet of what this offense is capable of when it’s firing on all cylinders.