This season has been one Justin Jefferson would like to forget.
The Minnesota Vikings receiver has just six catches over his past three games and hasn’t eclipsed 80 yards receiving since Week 5. His 832 yards and two touchdowns this year are the lowest marks of his career, as is his 56.4% catch rate and 1.75 yards per route run.
The Vikings’ offense finally found some identity the past two weeks, putting up 30-point games against the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. However, it didn’t result in improved production for their No. 1 wideout, who finished with two catches for 22 yards on Sunday.
“It’s just one of those years,” Jefferson said after Sunday’s game.
It’d be easy to say his struggles are due to the quarterback play. With three different starters, two of whom made their first career starts this season, the lack of consistency would lead to a lack of production from any receiver.
We’re not talking about just any receiver, though. We’re talking about Justin Jefferson, a four-time All-Pro and former Offensive Player of the Year who reached 1,000 yards in just 10 games with three different starting QBs in 2023. Before this year, the conventional wisdom was that Jefferson was QB-proof and could produce no matter who threw him the ball. I guess it took the league’s worst EPA and completion percentage to finally make him look human.
While it’s true the QB play hasn’t been great, some of Jefferson’s struggles have been on him. Last week, he dropped a touchdown pass, and earlier in the year, fans pointed out his lack of effort in tracking an interception against the Baltimore Ravens. His 75.7 PFF grade is the lowest of his career, showing that it has not been a typical season for Minnesota’s top guy.
McCarthy and the offense have meaningfully improved in the past couple of weeks, yet Jefferson doesn’t have much to show for it. For some reason, the two have been unable to connect. McCarthy has a 7.64 rating when targeting Jefferson in the last two games.
Teams have deployed brackets and cloud coverage to diminish Jefferson’s impact, and it’s been effective. As The Athletic’s Alec Lewis highlights, Washington’s man coverage usage was a season-low 4.9% against the Vikings.
The very next week, the Cowboys used bracket coverage for the first time since Week 2 to slow down Minnesota’s best pass catcher. Jefferson’s gravity has allowed others to shine through. Jalen Nailor scored a pair of TDs on Sunday, and Josh Oliver scored two against Washington.
Jefferson also missed part of training camp with a hamstring strain, which might explain his inability to catch McCarthy’s fastballs. Meanwhile, McCarthy has yet to learn how to put touch on the ball to make it easier on his receiver’s hands. Both players are at fault, and they need to improve.
We still don’t know if Jefferson can eclipse 1,000 yards, but it’s within reach with three games to go. Winning is the ultimate goal, but even the coaching staff knows how important it is for Jefferson to continue his legacy. He can become the third player in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons, joining Mike Evans and Randy Moss. That’s some pretty cool company.
With McCarthy showing strides of improvement, the ceiling is high for what this duo can accomplish with an offseason together. Jefferson should bounce back – he’s too talented a receiver not to — and Minnesota can get back to being contenders again.
