Jan 8, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) warms up wearing a shirt honoring Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin (3) before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking to the media this week, Justin Jefferson posed a simple question to the Chicago Bears. Choose between him or the rest of the offense. Either way, somebody in white is going off on Monday night.
Whenever the Minnesota Vikings offense takes to the field, it has become the norm that the opposition is laser-focused on stopping Jefferson above all else. The Vikings have plenty of firepower outside of Jefferson, and in recent weeks, the Vikings have started getting the most out of the offense as a whole.
Addison, who had no problems getting open all season, was the key factor and finally found a connection with Sam Darnold. It started in Chicago when the Bears held the Vikings to just two catches for 27 yards, but Addison exploded with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.
The game also saw T.J. Hockenson’s first 100-yard game of the season, whose return from injury has been a timely boost for the Vikings’ offense. With six games under his belt, Hockenson looks fully up to speed. Add in Aaron Jones, who rushed for over 100 yards in Chicago, and the four-headed monster the Vikings have put together looked dominant in last week’s win over the Atlanta Falcons. With Sam Darnold in red-hot form, the Vikings will look to continue to dominate the opposition.
Jefferson is in the midst of a Hall of Fame career, but the Vikings superstar never makes it all about himself. He keeps repeating the same message: Defenses can either sell out to defend him and let the Vikings’ other playmakers go off or put less attention on him, and he will punish them. Jefferson repeatedly points out that it doesn’t matter who is having the big day as long as the Vikings’ plan for the offense to dominate comes to fruition.
In a week when a lot has been said about his rivalry with Ja’Marr Chase as the former college teammates do battle for the receiving yards leader for the season, Jefferson’s stance is important for two reasons. Firstly, it shows great confidence in his teammates to deliver. Secondly, it shows he puts the team’s success above all else. It doesn’t always seem to be the case with the big-name wide receivers.
Jefferson has broken many individual records and will likely continue to do so, but his ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl. Chase is having the best season of his career, but the Cincinnati Bengals are 5-8 and on the brink of being knocked out of the playoff picture. Jefferson looks set to fall short of career highs in all the stats this year but will play playoff football in January.
Will the Bears do the same as they did last time? It seems unlikely that they will move too far away from extra attention on Jefferson, but they can’t be beaten so badly by the rest of the offense again. Even though a shambolic ending by the Vikings let Chicago back in the game at Soldier Field, the Vikings needed one possession in overtime to secure the win. This comes after their worst defensive display of the season — and for quite some time — against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
With the Vikings offense fully healthy and hitting its stride, just trying to take away Jefferson doesn’t look like a viable plan. Early-season hopes of playoff football may have evaporated in Chicago, but they need to find some positivity for next season. Their defense has been a strength for a while now, and they will hope to get back to that this week with 231 yards and two touchdowns in the two games between the clashes with Chicago. Jefferson will be looking for another big day while Kevin O’Connell looks to prove he has found the formula to keep the whole Vikings’ offense involved and dangerous.
I will be surprised if the Bears can keep Jefferson under 30 yards again, but either way, I expect a successful day for the Vikings offense as a whole.