Justin Jefferson Is Really Good At Football

Maybe Jefferson shoulda taken care of his body a bit better so he didn't have to miss all of training camp with a hamstring injury. Missed a lot of valuable reps with his young QB.

MAD GAINZ wrote:

Maybe Jefferson shoulda taken care of his body a bit better so he didn't have to miss all of training camp with a hamstring injury. Missed a lot of valuable reps with his young QB.

Definitely truth to this. The two are super close though.

MAD GAINZ wrote:

Maybe Jefferson shoulda taken care of his body a bit better so he didn't have to miss all of training camp with a hamstring injury. Missed a lot of valuable reps with his young QB.

....and the dropsies.

StickierBuns wrote:

....and the dropsies.

Definitely more than usual.

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/minakimes/status/2075689307747311865

Oh, the horror!! A rookie QB wasn't lighting the world on fire and connecting with the best WR in the game!

Maybe it's because:

• he was double and tripled covered

• of less time working with McCarthy due to injury in camp as already stated by @MAD GAINZ 

• of uncharacteristic "dropsies" like @StickierBuns mentions (8 total, his highest in a season, coming off two seasons without 1)

• the play/progressions weren't designed for Jefferson; using his a decoy more often than any other time in his career so far?

• McCarthy was learning how to play in the NFL

Stat to show history, as I cannot find an actual stat of double/triple teams in 2025 season yet:

The FULL list of Double Team percentage among WRs (top 10)
1. Justin Jefferson 53.4%
2. AJ Brown 48.8%
3. Nico Collins 43.1%
4. Ceedee Lamb 39.1%
5. Puka Nacua 38.8%
6. Mike Evans 35.1%
7. Terry McLaurin 33.7%
8. George Pickens 27.8%
9. DK Metcalf 23.2%
10. Drake London 17.6% https://t.co/i0d2lUy6ha pic.twitter.com/AA0HnhM1ZO

— Cam (@42Cyc) February 22, 2025

Of course McCarthy will need to be better, what rookie/leader thinks otherwise? But we all know that even Jefferson knows Jefferson needs to play better.

So we're taking small shots at Jefferson now?

Hell, I give the guy major props for not throwing his QB under the bus at all last season...

Someone said "consumate professional" and I agree, I would have lost my shit. Minimally my frustration would have come through post game, every game except the opener at Chicago.

Throwing to JJ is where Darnold excelled so much - downfield and brass balls/accuracy to throw to a covered guy or tight window. He went from that to this.

Kudos to Jefferson for putting time in with both QB's this off-season.

Consumate professional indeed.

Also.....*cough* offensive line injuries.....many, MANY offensive line injuries. MANY.

purplefaithful wrote:

So we're taking small shots at Jefferson now?
Hell, I give the guy major props for not throwing his QB under the bus at all last season...
Someone said "consumate professional" and I agree, I would have lost my shit. Minimally my frustration would have come through post game, every game except the opener at Chicago.
Throwing to JJ is where Darnold excelled so much - downfield and brass balls/accuracy to throw to a covered guy or tight window. He went from that to this.
Kudos to Jefferson for putting time in with both QB's this off-season.
Consumate professional indeed.

I think they’re just being clowns.

I hope

purplefaithful wrote:

So we're taking small shots at Jefferson now?
Hell, I give the guy major props for not throwing his QB under the bus at all last season...
Someone said "consumate professional" and I agree, I would have lost my shit. Minimally my frustration would have come through post game, every game except the opener at Chicago.
Throwing to JJ is where Darnold excelled so much - downfield and brass balls/accuracy to throw to a covered guy or tight window. He went from that to this.
Kudos to Jefferson for putting time in with both QB's this off-season.
Consumate professional indeed.

Interesting reaction.

So it's perfectly acceptable to spend months dissecting every flaw of a rookie quarterback, but the moment someone points out that Jefferson also had an uncharacteristic season in a few areas, it's suddenly "taking shots" at him?

That's not what I said at all.

Jefferson is the best receiver in football, IMO. That doesn't mean he was flawless. He had more drops than usual, dealt with injuries during camp, saw constant double and triple teams, and was often used to manipulate coverages rather than being the primary read. Those are all factors, not criticisms.

My point has always been the same: football is the ultimate team game. McCarthy deserves criticism where it's warranted, but he also deserves context. Just like Jefferson does.

For some reason, context is welcomed for veterans but viewed as excuses for rookies. I don't understand that double standard.

And for the record, Jefferson is one of my all-time favorite Vikings. I completely agree that he's the consummate professional. He could have publicly expressed frustration last season or this offseason. He could have pointed fingers, made subtle comments, or fueled the media narrative. Instead, he's done exactly what a true leader does, he's put in the work, spent extra time with both quarterbacks, supported his teammates, and kept the focus on winning. That's one of the many reasons I have so much respect for him.

I think the general idea of starting a rookie QB is that the rest of the team should be carrying him while he's figuring out how to play the hardest position in sports at the highest level. Between the playcalling, the OLine injuries and the high amount of drops, it'd didn't really feel like the rest of the offense stepped up and carried him.

IceRatz16 wrote:

Interesting reaction.
So it's perfectly acceptable to spend months dissecting every flaw of a rookie quarterback, but the moment someone points out that Jefferson also had an uncharacteristic season in a few areas, it's suddenly "taking shots" at him?
That's not what I said at all.
Jefferson is the best receiver in football, IMO. That doesn't mean he was flawless. He had more drops than usual, dealt with injuries during camp, saw constant double and triple teams, and was often used to manipulate coverages rather than being the primary read. Those are all factors, not criticisms.
My point has always been the same: football is the ultimate team game. McCarthy deserves criticism where it's warranted, but he also deserves context. Just like Jefferson does.
For some reason, context is welcomed for veterans but viewed as excuses for rookies. I don't understand that double standard.
And for the record, Jefferson is one of my all-time favorite Vikings. I completely agree that he's the consummate professional. He could have publicly expressed frustration last season or this offseason. He could have pointed fingers, made subtle comments, or fueled the media narrative. Instead, he's done exactly what a true leader does, he's put in the work, spent extra time with both quarterbacks, supported his teammates, and kept the focus on winning. That's one of the many reasons I have so much respect for him.

This ^

SO much scrutiny and dissection for one dude who’s played 10 games….who’s taking ‘shots’? Very dramatic.

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/minakimes/status/2075689307747311865

JJ McCarthy had a 28% off target rate throwing to Jefferson last year--the 2nd highest league-wide.

Just because english ... Only 3 QBs threw to JJ all season, so ... 😜

IceRatz16 wrote:

Interesting reaction.
So it's perfectly acceptable to spend months dissecting every flaw of a rookie quarterback, but the moment someone points out that Jefferson also had an uncharacteristic season in a few areas, it's suddenly "taking shots" at him?
That's not what I said at all.
Jefferson is the best receiver in football, IMO. That doesn't mean he was flawless. He had more drops than usual, dealt with injuries during camp, saw constant double and triple teams, and was often used to manipulate coverages rather than being the primary read. Those are all factors, not criticisms.
My point has always been the same: football is the ultimate team game. McCarthy deserves criticism where it's warranted, but he also deserves context. Just like Jefferson does.
For some reason, context is welcomed for veterans but viewed as excuses for rookies. I don't understand that double standard.
And for the record, Jefferson is one of my all-time favorite Vikings. I completely agree that he's the consummate professional. He could have publicly expressed frustration last season or this offseason. He could have pointed fingers, made subtle comments, or fueled the media narrative. Instead, he's done exactly what a true leader does, he's put in the work, spent extra time with both quarterbacks, supported his teammates, and kept the focus on winning. That's one of the many reasons I have so much respect for him.

I internalized it as excuse making; Momma McCarthy's 😆

Ok, I'm kidding sort of.

The bottom line is the kid shouldn't have been out there at QB1 last year. He clearly wasnt ready and I believe KOC knew it.

I think JJM was put in a position that KAM should regret to this very day. All he had to do is look at the best practice "qb rearing" The Packers did raising Rogers from a rook.

Onward we march to camp...

purplefaithful wrote:

I internalized it as excuse making; Momma McCarthy's 😆
Ok, I'm kidding sort of.
The bottom line is the kid shouldn't have been out there at QB1 last year. He clearly wasnt ready and I believe KOC knew it.
I think JJM was put in a position that KAM should regret to this very day. All he had to do is look at the best practice "qb rearing" The Packers did raising Rogers from a rook.
Onward we march to camp...

I think it’s perfectly reasonable to blame Jefferson for McCarthy finishing 35th out of 35 qualifiers for accuracy.