GREEN BAY, Wis. — It has become hard, at this point, to find new ways to praise Justin Jefferson.
He tracks passes like a missile defense system. His body is so bendy that it sometimes feels like he’s made of the same stretchy material as a rubber band. He is deceptively fast, stealthily tough and absurdly competitive. He is one of the most accomplished 25-year-olds in NFL history.
If you are reading this, you know that the types of catches Jefferson made Sunday afternoon in the Minnesota Vikings’ 31-29 escape against the Green Bay Packers are par for the course. What you might not know, though — or what you might not have considered — is how influential Jefferson’s aura has been as his team has raced out to a shocking 4-0 start.
More this season than during the previous few, as he ferociously attacks drills on the practice field, publicly lauds the Vikings coaching staff and hypes teammates in press conferences, it feels as if Jefferson knows he is in the driver’s seat. It’s like he is aware of his gravitational pull, comfortable with the reality that his attitude is going to contribute heavily to the overall vibe. And right now, he and the team are nearly one and the same.
Two years ago in the bowels of Lambeau Field, Jefferson wasn’t smiling. He wore dark Oakley shades and answered questions with little emotion following a horrendous loss amid an adventurous season. On Sunday, after a six-catch, 85-yard, one-touchdown performance, he left the glasses to the side, grinning, laughing and proclaiming, “I’m very proud of this team.”
The only people who thought the Vikings’ torrid start was possible unzipped their equipment bags and laced up their cleats a few hours before Sunday’s game. Before the season, oddsmakers predicted the Vikings to win around 6.5 games. Most pundits projected Minnesota to be in the NFC North’s cellar.
Internally, though, the Vikings staff believed the team could surprise with its bevy of defensive personnel additions, the addition of running back Aaron Jones, an intentionally designed offense playing to Sam Darnold’s strengths and unheralded depth at multiple positions.
Meanwhile, Jefferson listened to head coach Kevin O’Connell tell his players they were capable of contending and believed wholeheartedly. He constantly complimented Darnold in summer practices and fall camp. He offered no grand statements, provided no seismic social media posts and mirrored the staff in his quiet confidence. For him, a two-star recruit who once played as LSU’s slot receiver — because the higher-profile receivers all refused — this felt all too comfortable.
“We’re underrated,” Jefferson said the week before the season. “But we love that. I love that. I’ve always loved being the underdog and being under the radar — so that whenever we creep up on somebody, we can just shock them.”
Right now, that somebody is the entire NFL world. If the Detroit Lions lose to the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Night Football,” Minnesota will emerge from Week 4 with a two-game lead in the NFC North. The Vikings are undefeated having faced three teams (49ers, Texans and Packers) that entered the 2024 season with top-10 odds to win the Super Bowl.
Minnesota annihilated San Francisco and Houston in Weeks 2 and 3. For a half Sunday, the Vikings seemed well on their way toward another statement win. Darnold was dishing the ball accurately, and Brian Flores’ defense was flummoxing Jordan Love. Wide receiver Jordan Addison was catching touchdown passes, and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was diving for interceptions.
But of course, the defining image of the 28-7 start emanated from Jefferson, who on a first-and-goal try in the red zone, released down the right sideline in one-on-one coverage.
Darnold identified the mismatch and feathered a pass near the front right pylon. Because starting Packers cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine missed the game with injuries, Keisean Nixon was handed the duty of trying to cover the uncoverable. He drifted upfield admirably with Jefferson and savvily grabbed Jefferson’s left arm as Jefferson attempted the catch.
The problem was … well … Jefferson. The superstar receiver pinned the pass to Nixon’s back with his right hand, landed in bounds, ripped his left arm from Nixon’s grasp and shoved Nixon. He returned to the Vikings sideline after a ball spin and his typical Griddy, then climbed atop O’Connell in celebration.
.@JJettas2 you are unreal. Literally not real.
📺: @NFLonCBs pic.twitter.com/9c7pRswcny
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 29, 2024
“The touchdown,” O’Connell would later say, “was unbelievable.”
Right tackle Brian O’Neill preferred different verbiage.
“Special players do special s—,” he said.
O’Neill described the game as a roller coaster, and to stick with the analogy, that touchdown was the pinnacle of the rise preceding the drop-off. Shortly thereafter, Jalen Nailor was muffing punts, and the Packers were protecting Love. Areas of the game that had been smothered by Vikings defenders for three weeks were suddenly open and easy to exploit. Green Bay’s offense utilized tempo, and Love quickly matriculated his offense up the field. Minnesota’s offense, meanwhile, operated clunkily, turning the ball over, struggling pre-snap with the Packers’ mugged-up looks and failing to convert short-yardage chances.
Coming up with tempo responses and pressure answers will be the Vikings’ priority going forward, but at the time, a sickening ending seemed possible. Especially once Green Bay scored and converted a two-point conversion, cutting the lead to 28-22 early in the fourth quarter.
It was then O’Connell, who had reacted to stifled up-the-middle runs by continuing to throw the football late, provided Darnold a two-play option. He was to send Jefferson in motion, and if the Packers defender lined up across from him followed the receiver, the Vikings would target Jefferson a crossing route. That’s exactly what happened. Darnold delivered an in-stride throw, and Jefferson galloped up the field for a gain of 27.
Minnesota kicked an important field goal to go up 9, and Byron Murphy Jr.’s punchout set the stage for Jefferson’s finale, the photo-opportunity portion of this amusement. The Vikings were close to icing the game, and O’Connell, who had been motioning Jefferson all around the field, aligned Jefferson statically on the left side of the line of scrimmage. Jefferson burst off the line, pushing vertically, then peeled off toward the left sideline. Darnold led him, so Jefferson dove, snatched the ball and dragged his toes.
All @JJettas2 does is make plays no other receiver could make
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/yKsETWf2ou
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 29, 2024
Originally, the referees signaled him as out of bounds. But O’Connell called Jefferson over and said, “If you survived the ground, it’s a catch. I think you were in.”
“It’s a first down then,” Jefferson replied.
Not arrogance, just confidence — a feeling that has been flowing through the locker room for months now. It’s not new for Jefferson, but it is more pronounced. It’s as if this Vikings team has been constructed and conditioned around his personality and mindset.
Few of his teammates would admit just how closely they’re paying attention to his moves and his mood, but they don’t have to. Once Jefferson completed his news conference in the middle of the locker room Sunday afternoon, O’Neill, sitting nearby, hollered, “Great job, Justin!” Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips had also been listening. He joked aloud, “Justin, can you tell us what makes you so good?”
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(Top photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
