Tag: Justin Jefferson

Expect a big day from Justin Jefferson vs. Panthers

With a big day, Jefferson could hit the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

The Vikings will likely be without Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen on Sunday against the Panthers.

That means rookie Justin Jefferson will be the clear WR1.

Jefferson has been the best rookie wide receiver in the NFL this season, amassing 45 receptions for 848 yards and four touchdowns. The first-round pick already has four 100-yard games this season.

Jefferson has received about 5.9 targets per game this season, while Thielen has received 7.6. Of course, Jefferson won’t get all of Thielen’s targets but there’s a good bet that he’ll get three or four of them. Let’s say Jefferson gets 8.9 targets. With a 76.3% catch rate, that puts him at 6.8 catches in the game. And with his 18.8 yards per catch, that puts him at 127.8 receiving yards in the game.

Thielen also leads the league with 11 touchdown receptions. If the Vikings are throwing in the red zone, we can probably expect Cousins to look to Jefferson first.

Of course, Carolina’s secondary will focus more on Jefferson and that could force Kirk Cousins to throw more to players like Kyle Rudolph and Bisi Johnson.

Report: Vikings WR Adam Thielen not expected to play vs. Panthers

The Panthers may be a bit banged up themselves, but they’re catching a break when they visit the Vikings on Sunday.

The Panthers may be a bit banged up themselves, but they’re catching a break when they visit the Vikings on Sunday.

According to a report by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Minnesota’s star wide receiver Adam Thielen is not expected to play in this matchup. He is currently on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. Losing Thielen would be a big blow for the Vikings offense, as he leads the NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns this season.

If Thielen does have to sit out, it will allow the Panthers defense to focus more on stopping Minnesota’s other dangerous wide receiver threat. Rookie Justin Jefferson has caught 45 of his 59 targets from Kirk Cousins so far, totaling 848 yards and four touchdowns. He currently leads the league in yards per route run, edging out elite receivers like Julio Jones and Davante Adams.

Guard Ezra Cleveland and defensive end Jordan Brailford have already been ruled out for Minnesota.

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Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson talks about the Cowboys loss and bouncing back

“That’s a team we should have not have kept close,” Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson said.

Minnesota was surging in the second half of the season until it lost to a team it was favored it beat.

The Cowboys came into U.S. Bank Stadium and upset the Vikings on Sunday. That’s a tough loss to come back from, especially with how the team was playing before this.

Justin Jefferson talked about the game with reporters:

“We knew we weren’t supposed to lose that game,” Jefferson told reporters, via the Vikings Twitter account. “We had some key penalties and setbacks throughout the game that really hurt us. And we just knew that that was on us. We had a chance to win the game and that’s a team we should have not have kept close. And we did and we gave up the game.”

Jefferson also talked about how the team can recover from the loss:

“We just have to be more focused, more dialed in, bring the energy still and come ready to work.”

The Vikings will need a more focused effort against a Panthers team that is probably better than the Cowboys. The next game is an important matchup for Minnesota — can the team go back to turning its season around or will it end up in the bottom half of the league when the season is over?

Vikings ranked as having the 10th best young core

The Vikings have been pretty inconsistent in 2020, but at least the team has some promising young players to build off of for the future.

At 4-6, the Vikings have put together a disappointing display in 2020 so far, but the team still has plenty to build off of for future seasons.

Yes, Stefon Diggs is a big loss, but Justin Jefferson has been a more-than-adequate replacement. Other young players like D.J. Wonnum, Irv Smith Jr. and Jeff Gladney have shown promise this season.

Bleacher Report likes what it sees. The outlet ranked the Vikings as having the 10th best young core in the league. Here’s what it said about Minnesota:

“Minnesota keeps investing big resources in smart areas, too. Garrett Bradbury, 25, was a first-round pick a year ago and has a 69.1 grade at Pro Football Focus. Cornerback Jeff Gladney, 23, was a first-rounder this year, and right guard Ezra Cleveland, 22[,] was a second-rounder this year. Both have shown flashes.

Along with mainstays Adam Thielen, Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith, it’s hard to dislike the long-term outlook in Minnesota.”

I think if players like Gladney, Cleveland, Cameron Dantzler and others can take strides forward for 2021, this team could be back to at least being decent.

There is the problem with Kirk Cousins, though. I used to defend Cousins for his level of play and efficiency, but I think this year proved that his faults are not going away. It’s time for the team to draft a rookie quarterback.

Cousins’ contract is huge, but the team can afford to have a player at the same position on a rookie deal for the time being. And off course, a promising young quarterback makes for a better young core.

Does Steelers’ Chase Claypool have a shot at OROY?

Claypool has some tough competition to surpass for offensive ROY honors.

As impressive of a season that Steelers rookie receiver Chase Claypool is enjoying, it’s not likely he’ll be the recipient of the coveted Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But there are still six weeks left in the regular season, and, as we’ve seen, anything can happen in 2020.

With 581 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns, Claypool has exceeded even the Steelers’ expectations. In Week 5, Chase was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his four-touchdown performance versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dating back to the year 2000, though, only three wide receivers had the distinction of OROY (Anquan Boldin, 2003; Percy Harvin, 2009; Odell Beckham Jr., 2014).

Until Sunday, it was a foregone conclusion that OROY would be going to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Now that Burrow is out for the season, it’s hard to imagine he’ll get enough votes.

Here’s a look at the top rookie talent that Megatron is up against.

What’s buzzing on social media after LSU’s win and Joe Burrow’s injury?

LSU celebrated a rivalry win against Arkansas and the football world reacted to the injury to former Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.

Although a win for the LSU Tigers over Arkansas was a good enough reason to celebrate this weekend, the entire LSU world seemed to be locked in on the injury to Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow this weekend in the NFL. Burrow suffered a severe knee injury that appears to be a season-ending setback.

Burrow, who scorched the record books while leading LSU to a national championship last year and went on to be the No. 1 pick of the Cincinnati Bengals last spring, sent a message to his supporters and made it pretty clear his focus will be on returning to action in 2021. LSU’s official Twitter account, naturally, retweeted Burrow’s message with a nod to Burrow’s greatness as an LSU Tiger.

Burrow was carted off the field in Sunday’s game between the Bengals and the Washington Football Team. Burrow’s rookie season will seemingly end with 2,485 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions. His 2,485 passing yards were 10th in the NFL at the time of his untimely exit.

Buzzing about the LSU Defense

LSU’s defense may not have solved all of its problems in a win against Arkansas, but there was definitely some encouraging developments against the Razorbacks after two weeks off. The Tigers not allowing a third-down conversion all game long certainly was a major key to victory. But how long has it been since LSU held an opponent without a single third-down conversion? It’s been a while.

HIGHLIGHTS: LSU tops Arkansas, 27-24

 

The experts were wrong

We previously made note of how every picker on ESPN’s College GameDay predicted Arkansas to get the win against LSU over the weekend. But it turns out everyone on SEC Network’s pregame coverage was also siding with the Razorbacks.

Oops!

Report Card: Grading LSU’s win against Arkansas

Let’s Go Bowling!

The bowl projections from multiple media outlets continue to show a range of opinions on just where the Tigers may be heading this bowl season. 247Sports currently projects LSU to take on NC State in the Gator Bowl. CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm currently has LSU slated to face the Texas Longhorns in the Texas Bowl in Houston.

The updated bowl projections from ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach sees Schlabach siding with Palm’s projection with a Texas Bowl matchup against the Longhorns. Bonagura is sending the Tigers to the Outback Bowl to take on the surprising Indiana Hoosiers.

Simply put, it may take a little more time to truly get a feel for where LSU will be heading this bowl season. The options are plentiful right now.

Five takeaways from LSU’s win over Arkansas

Honoring better times…

Even if things are not going particularly well this season, LSU is still finding ways to remind anyone passing through the facilities the kind of bat LSU attempts to clear every season. Check out the latest revision to the Tiger Stadium Lawton Room, featuring some pretty nifty hardware…

Still looking good in purple and gold…

As for one of Burrow’s top targets from the national championship run a year ago, Justin Jefferson was looking pretty good in the alternate purple look displayed by the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

And it was a pretty good weekend for many football fans throughout the state of Louisiana. LSU winning and a day later the New Orleans Saints win? That’s a pretty good weekend.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys effort steers them to unchartered waters, the win column

The Dallas Cowboys finally had more good than bad in their first win in over a month, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 31-28

One never knows what these Dallas Cowboys are going to do on any given Sunday. They zig when you think they are going to zag, they play well when you least expect it and they win when you expect them to lose.

The Cowboys put together one heck of an effort in getting their third win on the season, 31-28 over the Minnesota Vikings. It was the third straight game where the Cowboys looked like a much improved football team and this time they came away victorious.

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the Cowboys in their win over the Vikings.

One person every NFL team has to be thankful for this season

Reasons for all 32 NFL teams – and their fans – to be thankful this Thanksgiving.

We have reached Thanksgiving Week, that traditional time on the NFL calendar where some teams and their fans start thinking about the playoffs, while others start dreaming of a new future delivered via the draft and free agency.

Of course, 2020 has been a year unlike any other. It has been a year that recalibrated our expectations, our beliefs, and our thoughts about what truly matters. For many, this holiday will be marked in new and different ways. Trips to grandma’s house will be done virtually, the stuffing will be passed over Zoom, and the family games of football in the backyard might be done through Madden on a new XBox or Playstation.

And sadly, for some who gather there will be an empty chair at the table, a brutal reminder of the year we have lived through together.

But this year has also taught us some lessons. Lessons about the beauty that can be found in both the new and the mundane. Lessons about what does matter. Stolen glances while teaching the kids math that neither of you ever learned. Giggles as Grammie and Grampy figure out their first Zoom meeting. Smiles as Grandpa and Grandma come outside to see a distanced birthday party and a house decorated under cover of night. Smiles as the kids log in to school each morning and a chorus of voices ring out, calling their names.

For as hard as 2020 has been, there is still beauty and goodness to be found, and things to be thankful for this holiday season. Sometimes, it just takes a little longer to look for them.

The same can be said for all 32 NFL teams. Each organization and fan base has something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. But for some, it takes a little longer to find it.

In that spirit, our weekly Overreactions piece is a bit different this holiday week. Here is something every team and fan base can be thankful for right now.

Comparing the rookie seasons of Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb

On Sunday, we’ll see two of the league’s top rookies in the Vikings and Cowboys game. 

On Sunday, we’ll see two of the league’s top rookies in the Vikings and Cowboys game.

Minnesota has Justin Jefferson, who was drafted with the 22nd overall pick, while Dallas has CeeDee Lamb, the 17th pick.

Here’s how to two compare to each other so far this season:

Jefferson: 42 catches, 762 yards, 3 touchdowns
Lamb: 44 catches, 595 yards, 3 touchdowns

Jefferson has been one of the best receivers in the entire league this season, regardless of experience. Lamb started the season off with two 100-yard games in the first five weeks, but since Dak Prescott’s injury, Lamb hasn’t totaled more than 71 yards in a game.

Both receivers should have plenty of opportunities on Sunday. The Vikings rank 27th against the pass while the Cowboys rank last in total points allowed this season.

Former LSU stars Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson among top NFL rookies

Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow had one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history in 2019.  

Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow had one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history in 2019. As a result of his success, Burrow would become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Through nine NFL games, Burrow has certainly not disappointed. The former Heisman Trophy winner has completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,485 yards with 12 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Burrow has also rushed for three scores.

Burrow isn’t the only former Tiger on his way to stardom as an NFL rookie.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, is one of the top wideouts in all of the NFL as a rookie.

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Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield recently reviewed the film of some of the league’s top rookies and came away quite impressed with former LSU standouts.

In his list of top-12 rookies, Jefferson came in at No. 3, while Burrow was No. 4.

Here’s what Schofield had to say about Jefferson.

He has put up incredible numbers for the Vikings. To date, Jefferson has caught 42 passes for 762 yards and three touchdowns and has averaged 18.1 yards per route. These are all impressive numbers for a wide receiver, let alone a rookie, and as such, he should certainly be in the mix for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

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Here’s Schofield’s assessment of Burrow.

Behind a patchwork offensive line, Joe Burrow has largely lived up to the hype as the first overall draft pick. On the year, Burrow has completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,485 yards and 12 touchdowns against five interceptions, and the Bengals have been more competitive than many expected them to be in 2020.

The former LSU teammates were connected for 18 touchdowns in 2019; now, the pair could be battling for NFL offensive rookie of the year.

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