The Los Angeles Rams didn’t have many positives throughout the 2022 season, partly due to an endless number of injuries. With all of the injuries at the wide receiver position, NFL.com’s Nick Shook highlighted Van Jefferson as the team’s unsung hero this season.
Injuries decimated the Rams, undercutting their chances of defending their Super Bowl LVI title in 2022. With Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson going down at various points in the season, Ben Skowronek and Jefferson (who missed the first portion of the season with a knee injury of his own) were ultimately left as Los Angeles’ top options at receiver. Jefferson capitalized, starting in every game in Weeks 13-18 and consistently producing at a level that was respectable, especially considering how short-handed the Rams’ offense was in the final months of the season. Jefferson’s numbers didn’t come close to his career-best marks of 2021, but whenever the person playing quarterback for the Rams (with Baker Mayfield being the last of the replacements for injured starter Matthew Stafford) needed a receiver to target, Jefferson usually came through.
Cooper Kupp was limited to nine games this season due to an ankle injury and Allen Robinson underwent season-ending foot surgery after 10 games in his debut season with the Rams. And following a six-game absence to begin the season, Jefferson would be active for the final 11 games of the season.
Amid a carousel at the quarterback position once Matthew Stafford was sidelined, Jefferson became a reliable option in the passing game. Even though the numbers aren’t jaw-dropping, the third-year wideout finished with 24 receptions, 369 yards, and three touchdowns (including the game-winner against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14).
While Kupp and Robinson figure to be the top two options in the aerial attack in 2023, Jefferson has proven that he can be a trustworthy target for whoever is under center for the Rams.
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