Despite frequent double teams, Justin Jefferson just keeps producing

Last month, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he hopes people understand that the way opposing teams defend Justin Jefferson is different from how teams defend any other wide receiver in the NFL. That topic — the unique amount of coverage attention Jefferson sees on a weekly basis — has been one of the ongoing storylines throughout this Vikings season.

Every time the Vikings play, No. 18 is the central focus of the opponent's defensive gameplan. If a corner is left alone on him, they almost always have safety help over the top. True double teams are frequent. Sometimes there will be three defenders in the area as he gets to the top of his route. Certain teams, like the Jaguars, have completely strayed from their season-long tendencies when going up against Jefferson.

That context makes it all the more impressive that Jefferson is second in the league in receiving yards heading into this Sunday's game against the Falcons. He has 68 catches, 1,038 yards, and 5 touchdowns through 12 games, trailing only the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase in yardage. He leads the league with 20 receptions of at least 20 yards, and he leads the league with nine games with at least 80 yards (no one else has more than six).

There have been a couple quieter games recently where teams completely sold out to take him away — opening things up for his teammates in the process — but for the most part, Jefferson just continues to find ways to produce.

"It's mind-blowing," Aaron Jones said this week. "You tell me somebody's getting doubled, I'm like it's no way they're gonna have a thousand yards. He's doubled every game. It's just a testament to him. It's his mindset: I know I'm gonna get doubled, but I'm gonna run this route so hard that I'm gonna get the second guy who's guarding me to bite this way and I'm coming back out the other way. It's crazy to watch, crazy to see, and that's why he's the best at what he does. He's the best receiver in the league."

Each week, the Vikings watch tons of film and do their best to project how their next opponent will approach the difficult task of defending Jefferson. Over the past few years, O'Connell and his coaching staff have devised all kinds of ways to move him around and get him opportunities as the primary read against various coverage structures. But anything is on the table once the game begins. Oftentimes, adjustments have to be made on the fly once the Vikings identify how Jefferson is being covered.

"Usually we can tell pretty early on what kind of program they want to give Justin," Sam Darnold said. "For him to be able to say 'OK, this is what they're doing this game, and these are the plays that we have that can attack that.' I think the patience we've shown to be able to handle those kind of things has been pretty good this year."

Jefferson is on pace for 1,470 yards, which would fall short of his historic production in 2021 and '22. He's been cold in the touchdown department lately, going six straight games without one after catching five in the first six games. He's also still seeking his first truly huge performance of the season; he doesn't have any games with at least 140 yards after having five in each of the last two years.

But it's important to put in perspective that Jefferson's 86.5 yards per game ranks eighth in Vikings history, trailing only his first four seasons and three peak Randy Moss years. Despite the attention he has to play through, he's still putting up rare numbers at the receiver position. And if his career track record is any indication, one of those games with 140+ yards feels inevitable before this season comes to end.

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