The Point in a Game When Justin Jefferson Becomes a Beast
Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson bedazzled fans and pundits during his rookie season, following up his 2020 effort this season with an equally as impressive sophomore campaign through nine games.
Last year, it was exciting for Vikings fans to realize the replacement for Stefon Diggs really wasn’t too far off Diggs’ 2015-2019 Vikings production. The future was bright for Jefferson – with more to come and hopefully no sophomore slumping.
Well, Jefferson is flat-out stellar, rookie accolades-only, be damned.
Specifically, there is a point in a Vikings game when Jefferson becomes a beast. And that’s on 3rd Down.
The Vikings pass-catcher tweaked his game this offseason, retaining his marvelous skillset to catch the ball while ratcheting up the clutch section of his toolbag. Through 10 weeks of 2021, Jefferson leads the NFL in receiving yards on 3rd Down.
Jefferson is a stud on all downs, but 3rd Down – the most important one on every offensive drive – is becoming his masterpiece.
And the Vikings need it – my, oh my – do they need it. So far this season, offensive 3rd Down efficiency for the Vikings is woeful. On defense, the team is doing just fine on 3rd Downs, yet the offensive side of things is bleak. Right now, Minnesota ranks 26th in the NFL for 3rd Down conversion percentage, otherwise known as seventh-worst leaguewide.
Imagine how grotesque the Vikings would be on 3rd Down without Jefferson. Aye caramba.
They don’t have to worry about that barring injury, so the point is moot. Jefferson is a killer on 3rd Down, outpacing everyone in the NFL when it matters the most.
To be sure, Jefferson wasn’t silent on 3rd Down last year. He’s just broken out – consider it an enhancement – during his second act. In 2020, Jefferson was the NFL’s 11th-best player on 3rd Down, accruing 333 yards. He’s already passed that this season, setting up a pace of 661 yards by years end. What an improvement.
Even though the Vikings, on the whole, aren’t 3rd Down savants yet, Jefferson is Kirk Cousins’ money man on 3rd Down. In nine games, Jefferson’s teammates, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn, have tallied 261 receiving yards on 3rd Down combined. Jefferson is lapping his teammates. Cousins finds Jefferson, Jefferson hauls it in, and now Jefferson leads the NFL in the metric.
With the help of Cousins, Jefferson stretches the field, too. Since entering the league, Jefferson tops the NFL in receptions of 25 yards or more.
The man is pressing his thumbprint on the Vikings and the league, dialing up noteworthy statistics in essential metrics.
But he can’t stop now. If the Vikings are to rectify the 2021 season – they’re currently 4-5 and not in the playoff tournament at the moment – his 3rd Down efficiency must remain at the current level. And the Vikings, as a team, have to levitate from the 26th-in-the-league ranking on 3rd Down. Good teams don’t do much in the playoffs if they cannot convert 3rd Downs on offense.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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