Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) warms up before the game against the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
The ‘Other’ Important Race for Justin Jefferson
Through 14 weeks of the 2022 NFL season, Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson has tallied 1,500 yards. He’s just 40 yards clear of Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill, and he’d love to chase down Calvin Johnson’s single-season record. Winning another race could help to accomplish all of those goals.
Coming into the season, online bookmaker Bovada had Justin Jefferson as the favorite to lead the NFL in receiving yards. So far, he is accomplishing that feat, and he’ll need to average 125 per game over the next four contests if he wants to become the NFL’s first 2,000-yard man. He was not favored to lead the league in receptions. That nod was given to Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Right now, however, Jefferson is within striking distance of a sweep.
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Leading Hill by 40 yards, Jefferson trails him by just a single catch. Jefferson had lagged behind Hill for most of the season in the receptions department. The Vikings wideout was making more of his opportunities despite them coming a bit less frequently. On the year, he has just four games in which he’s made double-digit receptions, and one of those came last week when he put up a career-high 223 yards.
As the Minnesota Vikings have looked to get more creative on offense, Kevin O’Connell has force-fed his top playmaker all he can handle. For the past three weeks, Jefferson has seen at least 11 targets come his way, and the 15 he earned last week trailed a season-high 16 against Buffalo by just one.
Last season with Mike Zimmer at the helm, Jefferson totaled a career-best 108 receptions. It’s certainly possible he will surpass that amount this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts, and he would do so still having three games remaining. Not sacrificing anything on his yards per reception, still being above 15, Jefferson has only benefited from additional opportunity. After starting out with 5.5 receptions per game as a rookie and bumping that to 6.4 last season, he’s enjoying a new career high of 7.6 in 2022.
It’s not at all surprising that the additional targets and passes being pulled in have led to substantially more yardage as well. Jefferson’s 115.4 yards per game lead the league and is almost 20 yards more per game than he hauled in a season ago. Even with talented corners facing off against him on a weekly basis, O’Connell has done a great job of making sure the Cousins-to-Jefferson connection is always there.
Now, with just a few games left, Bovada sees it virtually as a dead heat to lead the league. Both Jefferson and Hill are tied with the best odds at +150. Although Jefferson’s lead in the yards category is a bit more sizable, he could certainly pull away if Minnesota remains committed to getting the football in his hands. Obviously, as they look to win out, the more involved Jefferson can be for the Vikings, the better outcomes they should expect.
There’s never been a time where confidence seemed to be an issue for the talented LSU product, and as he continues to rack up accolades and put the league on notice, he has remained steadfast in improving his craft. Jefferson is one of those rare athletes who reach the peak and continue to build from there. It’s crazy to think that he’s only 23 years old, and this may just be an appetizer for the feast that is about to come.
Griddy or not, you can bet Jefferson would love to celebrate as many leaderboards as he can top this season, and Minnesota’s playoff prospects largely rely on how far he can carry them.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.