Last year, Justin Jefferson finished 17 yards shy of Randy Moss’ single-season franchise record, and it became the focal point of the Minnesota Vikings’ final game. Mike Zimmer famously went out on his terms. He played his starters in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears, didn’t press to allow Jefferson to break Moss’ franchise record, and dropped Minnesota’s draft stock by winning.
Most people in US Bank Stadium almost didn’t notice when Jefferson passed Moss in Sunday’s 27-24 win over the New York Giants. The Vikings splashed a graphic on the jumbotron congratulating Jefferson on passing Moss after his 23-yard reception with seven minutes to go in the first quarter. They alerted the crowd several times during the game, but it was almost rote. Jefferson only needed 10 yards to pass Moss entering Sunday’s game. In the next two weeks, he’ll be chasing Calvin Johnson’s single-season record (1964) and trying to eclipse 2,000.
“It’s just another game for him,” said Harrison Smith with an incredulous laugh. “That’s a ridiculous thing to say. I’m saying that as a compliment.”
While Jefferson effortlessly re-writes Minnesota’s record books, the Vikings continue to grind out an improbable season. They have now won 11 games by one score, an NFL record. Fans maligned Greg Joseph after his slow start to the year, but his 61-yard game-winning kick is the longest conversion in franchise history. T.J. Hockenson finished with 109 yards on 13 receptions, a franchise record for tight ends.
We shouldn’t get used to this, but it’s almost becoming routine. The Vikings find a way to close out close games. The setbacks in Philadelphia and Detroit and the Dallas Cowboys’ blowout win in Minneapolis are reminders that this team isn’t impervious to a bad loss. But in any other season, this game would be considered a Christmas miracle. Instead, it’s a Vikings win that looks like every other Vikings win.
Daniel Jones led the Giants on a seven-play, 75-yard drive, capping it off with a two-point conversion to tie the game 24-24 with 2:01 left. They had all the momentum. In many other years, the Vikings would have stalled out in the two-minute drill and lost in overtime. Instead, Cousins and the offense got close enough that Joseph closed it out as time expired.
“It really has been a whirlwind,” said Hockenson. “Truly, it’s been pretty crazy. I don’t think I’m gonna really realize where I’m at, what I’m doing, and what this team is doing until after the season. I think it’s just one of those things where you can’t step back; you just gotta live in it, keep rolling, and continue building bonds with these guys.”
Let’s not take for granted that Hockenson played the first eight games of the season with the Detroit Lions before the Vikings traded for him. He learned the playbook in four days and made an immediate impact in Washington. He’s essentially been Minnesota’s WR2 since then. Patrick Peterson even accidentally called him a receiver when talking about him after the game. Hockenson scored the first two touchdowns, and he’s been a reliable weapon for Kirk Cousins all year.
“He doesn’t get enough credit for learning the whole playbook in two days when he got here,” said Brian O’Neill. “Now that he’s started to be able to settle in and getting reps of things that he’s been running in the games in practice.
“I mean, the first couple weeks, the first time he’s run certain plays was in the game, which is pretty hard to do. He’s just getting more comfortable.”
Remember when Joseph couldn’t make a kick over 50 yards and kept shanking extra points? He’s turned it around. He’s started kicking extra points from the left hash and hasn’t missed one since Week 12 against the New England Patriots. He hasn’t missed a field goal since Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals. Jefferson mentioned his 61-yard field goal, unsolicited, in his postgame press conference.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Jefferson said. “We got the dub. Greg kicked one of the farthest kicks in team history. Got the record. We played pretty good, so a lot of things are going pretty good.”
We shouldn’t take Jefferson for granted, either. But even his teammates admit that he’s normalized his sublime play.
“I mean, he can’t amaze me anymore,” says Peterson, a fellow Louisianan and LSU alum who knows Jefferson’s family. “The things he’s able to do, week in and week out. Being able to sustain that level of success is remarkable. Like I talk about all the time, it’s very rare that you see guys with this talent come in with the headspace that he’s in.
“He has a great head on his shoulders. His parents did a great job. His brother did a great job of grooming him for this moment. He’s just taking advantage of it.”
Jefferson quickly reminded everyone that being in the same conversation as Moss is no easy feat.
“It’s very difficult to be in conversations with him, breaking the records he has set,” offered Jefferson. “To actually do it after being close last year, is definitely God’s blessing. But it’s more than just me. The O-line has been doing a great job. Kirk has done a great job getting me the ball.”
Jefferson is taking the Vikings to new heights. It’s not only his play but his mentality. He’s their best player. He drives winning. But Jefferson is willing to give credit where credit is due. Minnesota wouldn’t be 12-3 without him, but he alone cannot get them there.
While it’s becoming hard not to take their close wins for granted, it’s important not to. We don’t fully know what they’re accomplishing here. We don’t really know what it means to win 11 one-score games on a fourth-place schedule. Eventually, it will end. Fortunately, it won’t be in a meaningless Week 18 game with Jefferson wondering why the offense isn’t getting him involved more often.
