10-30-2020, 09:45 PM
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson ‘totally different’ player since first game vs. Green Bay
Seven weeks ago, the Vikings were manhandled 43-34 by Green Bay in their season opener at U.S. Bank Stadium. Since then, their downward spiral has continued.
Still, there has been one intriguing development for the Vikings (1-5) since that first Packers meeting on Sept. 13. Jefferson looked like a raw rookie that day. Now, he’s playing like a savvy veteran.
Entering Sunday’s rematch at Green Bay, the first-round draft pick from LSU is the top-ranked wide receiver in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I’ve grown a lot,” Jefferson said. “Me looking at the film (of the opener), I look totally different. I have so much confidence now. I have so much swagger to my game now.”
After preseason games were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jefferson’s first NFL action was against the Packers, when he came off the bench to catch two passes for 26 yards. He was a little better the next week, again in a reserve role, making three receptions for 44 yards at Indianapolis.
In Week 3, Jefferson was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time — and he erupted, catching seven passes for 175 yards against Tennessee. He hasn’t stalled since.
Over the past four games, Jefferson has 23 catches for 467 yards, with three games of more than 100 yards. That has upped his season totals to 28 receptions for 537 yards with three touchdowns.
“I think he looks like a budding star,” said former Packers and Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings, now a Fox analyst. “He has a ton of confidence because of his experience now, having been given the opportunity.”
Jennings was an analyst for the Vikings’ opener as well as for their only win of the season, 31-23 in Week 4 at Houston. In that game, Jefferson caught four passes for 103 yards.
Jennings has been impressed with how quickly Jefferson has improved after a ho-hum start.
“He’s been in situations where he’s been called upon and they’re depending on him to make those big plays,” said Jennings, who played in the NFL from 2006-15, including 2013-14 with Minnesota. “You can see it kind of exuding through him, the level of confidence he’s playing with, almost a mentality and a mind-set of, ‘I’m unguardable.’ It’s visible to those who know what it looks like and what that feels like.”
Jennings sure knows what that feels like. While playing for the Packers from 2006-12, he had three 1,000-yard seasons and two other times exceeded 900 yards.
Jefferson is on a pace to finish the season with 75 catches for 1,432 yards. That would top the Vikings rookie totals put up by Randy Moss of 69 receptions for 1,313 yards in 1998. (Still, Jefferson is way behind Moss’ touchdown pace, when he finished with a rookie-record 17).
“It’s a good goal to have,” Jefferson said of Moss’ catch and yardage totals. “It’s a good thing to beat, but I’m more focused on the team and trying to win some games this year.”
For the Vikings to have any chance to beat the heavily favored Packers (5-1), it helps that Jefferson is a much different player than he was in the last meeting. Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur has certainly noticed that.
“This guy is going to be a legitimate No. 1 receiver in the league, if he isn’t already,” LaFleur said. “He is explosive, you can tell he’s a smart football player, he’s got great hands, he’s tough, he’s competitive.”
While Minnesota’s offense has been slowed by mistakes — Kirk Cousins is tied for the NFL lead with 10 interceptions — Jefferson often has kept foes honest by being able to stretch the defense. He is fourth in the NFL in yards per catch at 19.2.
Jefferson is sixth in the league in receiving yards per game at 89.5. And to think it all started for him with a meager 26 yards against the Packers.
“I was … just getting the taste of the NFL,” Jefferson said. “I didn’t have any preseason games or anything. That was my first NFL game, period. Now, I have games that I have played in, I have started in, made big plays in the games. This time around, I’m just more eager to go out there and put it to work.”
https://www.twincities.com/2020/10/30/vi...green-bay/
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