The Minnesota Vikings are making a major change on offense before Monday’s game against the Buffalo Bills as star wide receiver Justin Jefferson issued a sharp warning to his team.
The Vikings jumped out to a 6-0 start on the strength of a league-best defense, but have struggled on offense and rank near the bottom of the league in offense points per game and yards gained. The Vikings made a change at quarterback this week, but Jefferson believes they need more to figure out and correct their struggles.
The Vikings announced that they would be turning to veteran signal-caller Carson Wentz as starter Kyler Murray deals with a nagging hamstring injury.
Justin Jefferson Sends Message to Vikings
Jefferson has been visibly frustrated at times with his team’s offensive struggles, especially Murray’s difficulty in delivering him the ball. He said this week that his team has to turn things around quickly.
“We’ve got to figure out that answer and figure it out fast,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson also said his team had a chance to win last week against the Detroit Lions, but came up short on offense.
“It was wanting to win, and I felt like we had plenty of opportunities to win that game and we only hurt ourselves in multiple ways,” Jefferson said. “It’s just wanting better from the whole entire offense especially. And I feel like the potential and the guys that we have in that room is something very, very special. I feel like we’re wasting that if not going out there executing the plays that we have called and just not living to that standard that we feel like we live up to every single day.”
Jefferson said he saw Murray growing in the offense, but the remarks came more than two months into the season. The team is instead turning to Wentz, who has a strong history of success with Jefferson.
Bills Making Changes on Defense
The Vikings will face a Bills team that has started to find its footing on defense. The team’s secondary had its best performance of the season in last week’s 36-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, though they played most of the game against emergency quarterback Joe Fagnano after injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley.
The Bills came into the game with a new-look secondary, elevating veteran safety Geno Stone from the practice squad and pairing him with fellow vet Damar Hamlin. The two played well, giving the Bills the leeway to cut C.J. Gardner-Johnson after his one-game suspension ended this week.
Justin Jefferson Issues Sharp Warning to Vikings Offense Before Bills Game