The NFL Is Too Small for Justin Jefferson
It wasn’t a slight to the defender — the league is too small for Justin Jefferson.
That’s the message from the Minnesota Vikings phenom wideout and reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Jefferson’s Vikings finally won a game Sunday, downing the now 0-4 Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, thanks to 2 touchdown grabs from Jefferson and a suddenly opportune Brian Flores-led defense.
The NFL Is Too Small for Justin Jefferson
For starters, this is the play in which Jefferson told the masses the world is too small for him.
The transaction, aided by a wondrous Kirk Cousins throw, shoved the Vikings lead to eight points, and the scoreboard never changed.
Jefferson notched 6 receptions for 85 yards and 2 paydirts, a pedestrian game for the 24-year-old but a career showing for 90% of NFL wide receivers. And when he caught the second touchdown of the day, Jefferson’s “too small” gesture appeared aimed at the Panthers defense. Yet, Jefferson clarified after the game that he hadn’t singled out a player in particular and that the NFL, on the whole, was too small for him.
“I mean, that’s a message to the league. I’ll go out there to show that it doesn’t matter who’s out there to stiff me. I’m gonna make a play, I’m gonna make a catch. I’m gonna do whatever it takes for my team to win,” Jefferson told reporters after the Week 4 showdown.
Machismo, indeed.
Jefferson’s theatrics, plus marvelous defensive performances from Harrison Smith, Marcus Davenport, and D.J. Wonnum, among others, pulled the Vikings out of a winless 0-3 hole, perhaps saving the season and allowing Minnesota to resume playoff aspirations.
The Vikings host the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor Swift, and Patrick Mahomes at U.S. Bank Stadium in six days.
Jefferson added about the win in Carolina, “It’s a long game. It’s a lot of time to go out there and make something happen. So, it’s really just don’t get discouraged by the turnover or the bad plays that we have on the field. We just gotta reset and just have that confidence to go back out there, have a better drive and put points on the board.”
Minnesota had lost a postseason game, three preseason contests, and three regular season bouts consecutively before getting off the schneid in Charlotte on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Jefferson leads the NFL — hence the too short taunt — in receiving yards as of October 1st, with 543, ahead of upstart Los Angeles Rams wideout Puka Nacua by 42 yards.
The Chiefs are favored by 5.5 points to take down the Vikings this weekend.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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