Minnesota
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson finishes third NFL season with 1,809 receiving yards
1,400 yards as a rookie. 1,616 yards in his second season. 1,809 yards in 12 months three.
If the sample holds, Justin Jefferson will turn into the primary participant in NFL historical past with 2,000 receiving yards subsequent season. It is simple arithmetic.
Jefferson caught 4 passes for 38 yards within the first half towards the Bears on Sunday. With the Vikings up massive and the sport having little which means, most of their offensive starters have been pulled to start out the second half. Which means Jefferson’s unbelievable third season ends with 128 catches, 1,809 yards, and eight touchdowns, plus a dashing landing and two accomplished passes.
His catches and yards this 12 months smashed franchise single-season information held by Cris Carter and Randy Moss, respectively.
Jefferson had 1,756 yards via 15 video games, giving him an opportunity to interrupt Calvin Johnson’s all-time file of 1,964 yards. Nevertheless, a one-catch outing towards the Packers ended that chance, particularly as a result of Jefferson was by no means going to play the total sport in Chicago.
Nonetheless, this was one of many biggest seasons by a receiver in NFL historical past. Check out the all-time leaderboard for yards in a season:
- Calvin Johnson (2012): 1,964
- Cooper Kupp (2021): 1,947
- Julio Jones (2015): 1,871
- Jerry Rice (1995): 1,848
- Antonio Brown (2015): 1,834
- Justin Jefferson (2022): 1,809
- Isaac Bruce (1995): 1,781
Jefferson is one in all simply six gamers in league historical past to have 1,800 yards in a season. Sure, he had a seventeenth sport to do it, however do not forget that he had 1,756 via 15 video games.
The outstanding factor about Jefferson’s season is that he had video games with 14, 15, 33, 38, 45, and 48 yards. That is 193 yards over six video games. It is simply that he had no less than 98 yards in every of the opposite 11, together with video games with 223, 193, 184, 154, and 147 yards. Jefferson’s ten 100-yard video games are one shy of tying the all-time file, and he had 98 yards in one other.
Jefferson set a ton of information this season, and he added one other one on Sunday towards the Bears. With 324 profession catches, he broke Michael Thomas’ file for probably the most receptions in a participant’s first three seasons.
It is secure to say Jefferson, who remains to be 23 years previous, is an elite participant who continues to get higher and higher. It will be enjoyable to see what he has in retailer for the playoffs and the 2023 season. It will even be enjoyable to see what sort of extension he finally ends up getting from the Vikings, who’re going to should open up the checkbook to maintain one in all faces of the NFL in Minnesota long-term.
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