Nov 14, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) flexes to the crowd after hanging on to a complete pass for a first down in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports.
Looking ahead to the Minnesota Vikings draft outlook after an 0-3 start to the season? How about trade packages for Kirk Cousins to the New York Jets?
Well, you need to stop, according to Justin Jefferson.
The league’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year — on pace to win the award again in 2023 — is done listening to trade talk surrounding his teammates. Jefferson believes his team is a fixed turnover problem away from resuming winning ways.
The Vikings won the NFC North last year with a 13-4 record but face a dissimilar and grim prognosis at 0-3 this season.
“I’m tired of people saying that we’re looking into next season or all of the trades and stuff like that. We’re focused still on this season. We have a lot more games to go and we have a lot more things to accomplish this season. We’re still focused in, and we still have the same goal as we had before the season. We just need to fix a few things and I feel like we’ll be back on track,” Jefferson told reporters Thursday, three days before the Vikings take on the winless Carolina Panthers.
The Vikings lead the NFL in turnovers and not in a good way — handing the ball to opponents via fumbles and interceptions.
Jefferson also stated, “At the end of the day, it’s not going to be perfect every time. There’s things that you’ve got to go through throughout the season to really tell if you’re going to be a great team or not. We’re handling adversity early in the season with the turnovers and being 0-3, but there is a whole bunch of more games to go.”
Minnesota is assuredly facing adversity, trying to stave off an 0-4 start, a mark that hasn’t beset the franchise since 2011.
“We just need to work on the turnovers. That’s what killing us the most […] We just need to fix a few things, and I feel like we’ll be back on track,” Jefferson added.
The Vikings face a daunting task in righting the ship. Just six teams in NFL history have rectified an 0-3 start to the tune of an eventual playoff appearance, and no 0-3 team has ever reached the Super Bowl.
Too, just one club in the sport’s history has ever visited the playoffs after an 0-4 start, which could apply to Minnesota if it loses Sunday in Carolina. That was the San Diego Chargers in 1992. a team that lost its first four matchups and then ran off 10 wins in the following 11 games.
A season about-face can occur, but it must begin with a triumph in Charlotte. And Jefferson seems to expect it.
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.