The Minnesota Vikings have the benefit of getting their best player back in wide receiver Justin Jefferson against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon.
They didn’t seem to miss Jefferson in the first five weeks of his absence, as they went 5-0 with some explosive offensive outputs. Unfortunately, that changed over the last two week. The Vikings’ offense stalled once opponents had film on Josh Dobbs and the new-look unit post Kirk Cousins.
What should the Vikings be looking at with the return of the best wide receiver in the NFL in Justin Jefferson? Our staff took a look at what the expectations should be for his return.
Managing editor Tyler Forness
After missing seven games Jefferson is finally back. He returns to an offense that has struggled mightily over the last two weeks. They scored 20 and 10 points in those games and could have used both the presence of Jefferson to impact coverages and the man himself to make plays with the ball in his hands. He returns to a team in flux with Josh Dobbs at quarterback. Can Dobbs show improvement with Jefferson in the fold? Will T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison benefit from Jefferson’s presence? There are a lot of questions but the answers should come quickly as Jefferson appears to be 100% healthy.
Columnist Judd Zulgad
Jefferson’s return after a seven-game absence should help the Vikings beyond his own stats. The Raiders will have to focus on Jefferson, meaning more double teams, and opening up things for Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn and T.J. Hockenson. The Vikings made the right decision by holding out Jefferson an extra game in order to give him more time to recover during the bye week. Will Jefferson be rusty? Perhaps but that is unlikely to last for four quarters.
Columnist Saivion Mixson
When discussing expectations for Jefferson, it’s difficult not to immediately pencil him in for 100+ yards and a touchdown or two. But it’ll be over two months since he’s last played in an NFL game. Combine that with the fact that he is playing with a brand new quarterback, and this transition may not be as smooth as first expected. He should, emphasis on should, have to knock off a little rust and get back into the flow of things before we see the old Jefferson again.
How long will that take? With a receiver like Jefferson, it varies. It could take up to half, or he could hit the ground running. There’s no telling. But he has far too much talent not to have an immediate impact on and off the stat sheet on Sunday.
His presence alone will bring double teams and bracketed coverages, opening up deep shots to Addison and Osborn while also creating underneath opportunities for T.J. Hockenson and the running back duo of Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler.
This offense is at its best with Jefferson, and it will be a breath of fresh air to have him back as Minnesota starts their playoff push down the stretch.
Columnist Chris Spooner
The Minnesota Vikings are on a two-game losing skid and still fighting for their playoff lives. They have a somewhat favorable schedule the remainder of the season, and it starts this week with a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Prior to the losing streak, the Vikings reeled off five straight wins to get back into the playoff picture after a disastrous start to the season. That win streak came without the services of Justin Jefferson, who makes his long-awaited return to the Vikings lineup.
How he manages to gel with his new quarterback – whomever that may be – is going to go a long way towards determining whether or not this is a playoff team. Minnesota can’t afford many more slip-ups, and they can’t afford turning the ball over at the pace they have been this season. Jefferson returning to the lineup should make things easier on the QB, and should keep turnovers low. However, that’s not exactly how things panned out early in the season.
Ultimately, Jefferson is one of those guys who makes everyone around him better, and he was on a record pace before the injury. I think we see another 100+ yard performance in his return, with at least one score.
