Justin Jefferson put the NFL on notice this summer, when he declared it was his intention to be considered the league’s top wide receiver by the end of the season. Jefferson quickly took a stride toward accomplishing that goal by catching nine of 11 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-7 victory over Green Bay in the opener.
But if the Packers failed to take Jefferson seriously enough on Sept. 11, the Vikings’ next two opponents, Philadelphia and Detroit, weren’t about to make the same mistake. The Eagles put Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay on Jefferson in Week 2 and held him to six catches for 48 yards on 12 targets in a 24-7 loss.
The Lions followed that by putting double and triple teams on Jefferson, and also had corner Jeff Okudah, the third pick in the 2020 draft, pay special attention to the 22nd selection in the same draft. Jefferson’s final line: Three receptions on six targets for a career-low 14 yards.
That was the downside. The upside was the Vikings twice rallied from double-digit deficits for a 28-24 victory that came on Kirk Cousins’ 28-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Osborn was wide open in part because the Lions were far more concerned about Jefferson.
“It’s frustrating, for sure, but I asked for it,” Jefferson said. “Just playing the way I’ve been playing. Just being the type of player that I am. Those double teams and triple teams are going to come. But that’s the luxury of having Adam (Thielen) and K.J. on the other side.”
Thielen finished with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, and Osborn had five catches for 73 yards. Jefferson’s assessment of the value of drawing defensive backs to him is spot on, but one of the reasons the Vikings hired offensive-minded coach Kevin O’Connell this offseason was to make sure Jefferson never became a forgotten man.
The 23-year-old is one of the NFL’s most dynamic wide receivers, and getting the ball in his hands remains incredibly important for O’Connell. O’Connell estimated that of the 72 offensive snaps Jefferson participated in on Sunday — 100 percent of the plays — there were “about eight or nine where he didn’t have some variation of a double.”
That’s a tremendous nod to the respect Jefferson commands, and a big-time challenge for O’Connell to outsmart opposing defensive coordinators. Sunday’s lack of production isn’t (yet) reason for panic, but it has sent O’Connell…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Vikings Wire…