On a day where Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson reset the NFL record for most receiving yards in a player’s first two seasons, the 22-year-old made headlines for more concerning reasons.
After the Vikings’ 30-23 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Jefferson made it clear he’s not satisfied with personal accolades despite finishing the game with eight catches for 116 yards that set him at 2,758 career receiving yards with two games remaining in the 2021 season.
The lack of energy and aggression shown by Minnesota on Sunday was a cause for concern — one that Jefferson pointed at, especially in the red zone.
“I think we should be more aggressive when we get down there,” Jefferson said after the game. “As soon as we get down there. But I’m not the one calling the plays. I’m just here to do my job and do what’s told of me. But we can’t get down in the red zone that many times and come out with three points.”
The Vikings were just 2-of-5 in the red zone on Sunday. Kirk Cousins attempted eight passes, targeting Jefferson just once inside the 20. Minnesota scored nine points on those trips in the red zone — a Greg Joseph field goal and a 2-yard touchdown run by Alexander Mattison after an opportune interception by linebacker Anthony Barr.
Despite the lack of points scored off turnovers, Cousins struck down the idea that there was a lack of aggression in the red zone.
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Cousins Content With Risk in Red Zone
In a postgame press conference, Cousins was asked whether he wishes the team and himself were more aggressive in the red zone.
Here’s the full question and answer:
Q: Jefferson also said he wishes the Vikings were more aggressive in the red zone. Do you wish you were more aggressive in the red zone?
Cousins: No, I think when you look back at the plays — you know — right off the turnover we called a pass and took a sack, so that drive kind of got set back because the first play we didn’t have a good productive play. We took a sack. So I go back and am hard on myself, saying, “How can I avoid the sack? How can I get the ball out quickly?” And so, you know, I think there were plenty of times to be aggressive and take our shots. We just didn’t make it happen when they were called.
Cousins, maintaining an even-keeled demeanor accustomed to his tenure in Minnesota, has mentioned he’s been uncomfortable with playing too aggressive this season. After a win over the Green Bay Packers where Cousins played one of the best games of his career, Cousins said he doesn’t want to make a living throwing a ball to a covered player.
However, Jefferson relishes contested opportunities where he can make a play on a 50-50 ball. He posted a 92.3% contested-catch rate his senior year of college, which was nearly 20% higher than the next best receiver and drastically better than the mean average of 46.5% posted by FBS receivers in 2020.
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Jefferson Shows Resolve
While Cousins seemed to disagree that there were enough aggressive play calls in the red zone, Jefferson seeing only one target could be the crux of the young receiver’s issue with the offense in a game that was once against settled by one score — the 14th time this season for the Vikings.
Regardless, Jefferson remained adamant he would maintain his energy as an emerging leader on the team.
“I can only control what I can,” Jefferson said. “I definitely will keep the energy up, keep talking my guys up, trying to pick them up. But at the end of the day I can’t go out there and play for them. … It’s not totally over yet. We’ve got some juice left, but you’ve just got to go and win these two games. Be aggressive, be emotionally into it and just be mentally prepared to go in there and fight our butt off.”
Kirk Cousins Strikes Down Justin Jefferson’s Candid Comment on Vikings