The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 heading into their bye week after their 23-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. Moreover, after injuries limited their time together on the field, Kyler Murray and Justin Jefferson flashed the potential of their connection.
Murray went 24-for-30 on his pass attempts, leading to 229 passing yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 109.6. Furthermore, the Vikings quarterback used his legs as he recorded 10 carries for 51 rushing yards, with his longest run being for 18 yards.
On the other hand, Jefferson had a good performance in his home state, recording six receptions on seven targets for 79 receiving yards and one touchdown. After the game, Jefferson shared his thoughts on Murray’s performance.
“He seemed to find a rhythm,” Jefferson told reporters postgame. “It was great. The off-schedule plays he made scrambling and using his feet to create first downs and build momentum were definitely big for us. When a play doesn’t look like much, but he’s making something out of nothing, that goes a long way for us.
“That’s something we were looking for and expecting from him, creating those plays, scrambling, and looking downfield to make those big plays. He played tremendously. We just have to finish those drives, especially with the two fumbles we had.”
Kyler Murray on Justin Jefferson Connection in Week 5
Meanwhile, Murray spoke about the touchdown pass to Jefferson and the chemistry the two are developing, given that this was their first full game together. As a result, there’s room for improvement that these two can work on during the bye week.
“I think [the touchdown pass] would’ve been a little cleaner [since] he initially got bumped by the nickel, but man, a guy like that, you give him a chance, it’s a hell of a catch,” Murray told reporters.
“It’s my first full game with him, but I’ve seen in spurts throughout my time here why he’s one of a kind. To see it live today, with a catch like that, triple coverage around him, no flinch, just focus and elite ball skills – it was a hell of a catch. The team needed it.”
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell on Kyler Murray’s Performance
Meanwhile, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell shared what he saw from Murray as the starter is now three starts into being more comfortable in the Minnesota offense.
“I just think it’s time,” O’Connell told reporters about Murray and the offensive performance. “It’s just game reps. You can talk about every practice rep you want against a scout card or even a training camp rep, but the game reps of being in it, it’s his huddle, and it’s him running the show. On the road, in a noisy building, we had to take a couple of early timeouts just to make sure our substitutions were right after T.J. went down.
“We were doing some shuffling within the lineups, but we’ve had a lot of practice at that. He just kind of stayed the course. Tremendous poise all day long, decision-making, using his athleticism. I think this performance, like the second half from last week, is a lot for us to build on for sure.”
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Gets Blunt on Kyler Murray After Week 5 Win