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Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson took no consolation in breaking the single-game franchise receiving yards record on Sunday.
Catching 11 passes for 223 yards against the Detroit Lions, Jefferson’s best performance of his young career was all for naught.
The Vikings surrendered 464 yards of offense to the Lions, allowing Detroit to score on five of its six final drives in a 34-23 loss on December 11. It was the fifth consecutive game Minnesota had allowed 400 or more yards of offense, the longest streak in franchise history.
Jefferson admitted to his frustration after a game where he posted a new career-high along with Kirk Cousins throwing for over 400 yards for just the seventh time in his career.
Justin Jefferson, Frustrated by Loss, Says Vikings Should Lean on Each Other Through Tough Times
Asked about his biggest frustration on Sunday in a locker room interview, Jefferson had a straightforward reply.
Losing,” he said. “I’m an ultra competitor. I hate losing. I hate losing in board games so imagine losing a football game. It’s always tough to lose but we have a short week and have another opportunity next week. We just got to come ready to play next week and get that 11th win.”
The loss was an echo from Jefferson’s first two seasons where he shattered rookie and franchise records but to no avail in the win column. This time around, the Vikings could have clinched their first division title since 2017 with a win but will have to wait another week.
“It sucks, honestly. You like all the individual stuff, but this is not an individual game. It’s more about the team, more about the record, and it’s about winning,” Jefferson added. “I like that I had a good game, but we still got an L and we could have won the division today. We just gotta do better. We got a short week next week to really redeem ourselves.”
Despite the defense’s struggles as of late, Jefferson left no signs of any divide in the locker room.
“It happens. We’re humans at the end of the day. Sometimes the offense may play bad sometimes the defense might play bad,” Jefferson said. “We all lean on each other to help each other throughout the game. It’s a battle out there and we just gotta lean on each other more.”
Justin Jefferson Leads the NFL in Receiving Yards Through 14 Weeks
Following Jefferson’s record-breaking performance, the Viking star now is the league leader in receiving yards.
He overtook Miami Dolphins dynamo Tyreek Hill with this week’s performance, posting 1,500 receiving yards through 13 games this season. Hill is second with 1,460 receiving yards. Hill and Jefferson are neck-and-neck in receptions, with the Dolphins star leading the league with 100 catches and Jefferson with 99 receptions on the season.
Jefferson, who is shooting to become the first receiver to surpass 2,000 receiving yards in a single season, needs 500 more yards in the Vikings’ final four games. That’s 125 yards per game, while he’s averaged 115 yards per game this season.
Jefferson has averaged 126 yards per game in his past five outings.
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Justin Jefferson Vents Frustrations After Vikings’ Loss to Lions