When things seemed hopeless for the Vikings, K.J. Osborn kept fighting.
The third-year slot receiver, who has mostly been an afterthought in Minnesota's passing attack this season, had the game of his life during the biggest comeback in NFL history on Saturday. Osborn got things going for the Vikings in the third quarter, made numerous clutch plays throughout the historic rally, and wound up smashing his career highs in receptions and yards with 10 catches, 157 yards, and a touchdown.
It's been a disappointing season for Osborn, at least in terms of his individual production. The 2020 fifth-round pick broke out in his second year, going from zero catches as a rookie to posting a 50-655-7 line in 2021. With an offensive-minded head coach taking over this season, Osborn was hoping to continue his ascent in year three.
Coming into this Week 15 game against the Colts, things hadn't played out that way. Although Osborn had been a valuable part of a fantastic season for the Vikings, he wasn't catching a lot of passes. 13 games into the year, he had just 35 catches for 300 yards and three touchdowns. That included only one game with at least 45 receiving yards and more games below 20 yards than above that mark. Osborn drew praise from his coaches for his run blocking and all-around contributions, but he was a distant fifth option on the Vikings' offense behind Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and T.J. Hockenson.
"(With) how this season's been going, I've just been waiting for my opportunity," Osborn said after the Vikings' 39-36 overtime victory. "I've been working very hard. I just try to stay calm, and this week I tried to just go back and focus on my details."
His team was already trailing 30-0 when Osborn caught his second pass of the game in the second quarter. One play later, he appeared to make an incredible diving grab for a 40-yard gain, but it was overturned upon review. It was that kind of half for the Vikings.
Osborn shook it off and kept going. Early in the third quarter, with the Vikings still down 33-0, he provided the spark. Able to get free up the seam, Osborn caught a pass from Kirk Cousins and nearly took it the distance for a 63-yard gain, dragging a Colts defender with him for almost 20 yards before going down. Three plays after that, he went in motion and kept his feet inbounds on a two-yard touchdown catch, his fourth of the season. The Vikings were on the board.
At the time, it seemed like an inconsequential touchdown in a hopeless blowout. It turned out to be the snowball that turned into an avalanche.
"I told K.J. a few weeks back that his time was coming," Kevin O'Connell said. "Regardless, just with how our offense is evolving and his value to us, I just knew it would happen. I didn't necessarily envision it, maybe the scenario that played out today, but think back, some of those catches, some of those conversions, his willingness to catch, get north, the yards after catch, just critical plays for our team."
Osborn came up big over and over again. The most impressive thing about his day was the toughness he displayed after the catch. There was a bubble screen that he took for 15 yards, helping set up the Vikings' second touchdown. There was a clutch grab over the middle of the field on 3rd and 9 in the fourth quarter. There was a 17-yard catch a few plays before Thielen's touchdown made it 36-28. Finally, Osborn caught two more passes in overtime, the latter of which came on the Vikings' game-winning drive.
"We counted on him countless times," Jefferson said.
Not only did Osborn destroy his previous career highs of seven catches and 91 yards, he consistently got everything he could out of each one of his receptions. 94 of his 157 yards came after the catch, according to PFF, and he was credited with two broken tackles. Most importantly, eight of Osborn's ten grabs went for first downs.
"K.J., I thought, was phenomenal today," Kirk Cousins said, unprompted, in his postgame presser. "He's a guy that — he could do that every week, but you've got Justin, you've got Adam, you've got T.J., you've got Dalvin, you've got Alex Mattison. And so it's been hard to get him the football as much as he deserves it and has shown the ability to deserve it. He's a guy that, all season long, I've kind of felt we need to get him more targets, get him more opportunities, because he's the real deal. It's just been hard to get him as involved as he was today. He showed it today, what he's capable of. I have total confidence in him to be an elite, elite receiver in this league."
As long as Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings' weapons are healthy, 100-yard games are going to be rare for Osborn. Still, this performance showed how valuable and important he can be. On a day where Jalen Reagor's two targets turned into interceptions, Osborn's career game was a reminder why he's remained the team's No. 3 receiver all season despite middling production and poor advanced receiving metrics.
For the rest of this regular season and into the playoffs, Osborn will continue to attack his role and do whatever's asked of him. Often, that'll mean blocking in the run game. Even more often, it'll mean running routes where he's not the first or second read. But when his number does get called and the opportunities present themselves, he'll be ready.
"It was amazing," Osborn said. "I can’t say anything else, but I feel so blessed. I’ve been working really, really hard and I’m happy that this day came. My mama, my family here to see it and we got the win with it. A career day, I’m so blessed and I've been working for this opportunity."
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