Jan. 2, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE.
It may not be this weekend or the one after that, but before too long, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor will be up for a redemptive moment.
The third-year playmaker dropped a critical pass last weekend — right in his damn breadbasket — a gaffe that prevented the Vikings from blowing out the Tennessee Titans.
Of course, Minnesota still won the game 23-13, but Nailor blundered an absolutely gorgeous pass from quarterback Sam Darnold. This play would’ve set the Vikings in motion toward a blowout victory — not a survive-and-advance feel that bubbled to the surface in Tennessee.
The ball was not poked away — the pass … not off target. Nailor simply dropped it.
It’s certainly not a career-defining indictment of Nailor or anything of the sort. It’s just that he’ll have to make up for it — seek vengeance on himself — to convince Minnesota’s brass that he’s a suitable WR3 for the long haul. Nailor is on pace for 44 catches and 420 receiving yards this season. Minnesota cut ties with wideout K.J. Osborn eight months ago because his 500-600 yards per season didn’t feel like enough. Instead, the WR3 spot has declined per production, especially when Nailor had a golden opportunity to shine with T.J. Hockenson missing the season’s first seven games.
Nailor has accounted for 4 touchdowns — that were actually pretty fabulous — but 420 yards and 7 touchdowns just aren’t sustainable in a pass-heavy offense like Minnesota’s. Even Jordan Addison’s production slowed from 2023 to 2024. He tabulated 911 receiving yards in 2023 but is on pace for 610 yards this season. With that reduction, Nailor had a prime opportunity to step up and nibble at WR2 numbers.
No cigar.
Meanwhile, the “easy” part of the Vikings’ schedule is in the rearview. It racked up somewhat sloppy wins over the last three weeks over three mediocre or bad teams: the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and aforementioned Titans. The schedule has no easy games left, and Minnesota can’t afford to have Nailor touchdown drops against good teams.
About a month ago, Nailor was high on his team’s chances of winning the Super Bowl. “We have the right guys in our building to get the things done that we have to this year, and that’s win a Super Bowl,” Nailor told Kay Adams in October. “I think we have what it takes, and winning that game [against the Lions] will show that we’re not to be played with.”
The Vikings lost to the Lions a few days later.
The young wideout also talked about his personal growth this season. “My technique in and out of my breaks and just finishing the route. The route’s never won at the beginning, it’s won at the end, it’s throughout the whole route,” he revealed. “Working with Keenan McCardell, he’s been helping me so much just to be a more complete receiver. He played 17 years in the league, so just learning from him, everything that he’s telling me, just trying to put it into my game.”
To make good on his Super Bowl outlook, redemption must be on Nailor’s menu.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.