Inside The Vikings

Vikings' Justin Jefferson Torches Packers For 158 Yards, 2 TDs in First Half

Jefferson drew MVP chants from the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Will Ragatz|
Vikings' Justin Jefferson Torches Packers For 158 Yards, 2 TDs in First Half
Vikings' Justin Jefferson Torches Packers For 158 Yards, 2 TDs in First Half

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Minnesota Vikings

Vikings third-year wide receiver Justin Jefferson is having one of the best games of his career, which is a high bar to clear for a player who spent his first two seasons setting all kinds of NFL records.

In just the first half of the Vikings' season-opening game against the Packers on Sunday afternoon, Jefferson caught six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He's 24 yards away from his career high in receiving with an entire half to play.

Jefferson's half was so ridiculous, he started getting serenaded with chants of "MVP" towards halftime.

It started on the Vikings' opening drive, which featured a great script from new head coach and play caller Kevin O'Connell. Jefferson caught a 20-yard pass to move the chains on third down, picked up another 22 yards two plays later, and capped the drive with a touchdown catch on fourth down. The play saw Jefferson go in motion from one side of the formation to the other before the snap, resulting in him being wide open.

After that score, a few series went by without any targets for Jefferson.

Kirk Cousins fixed that issue late in the second quarter. With roughly six minutes left in the half, Cousins stepped up in the pocket and delivered a bomb to Jefferson, who ran towards the end zone and picked up 64 yards on the play. After Jefferson couldn't quite get his second foot down in the end zone on third down, a Greg Joseph field goal made it 10-0.

Cousins and Jefferson went right back to work on the Vikings' next drive. An 11-yard connection between the two got things started, and then Jefferson somehow got wide open behind the Packers' defense for a 36-yard score, his second of the day.

Let's go over those stats again, because they're ridiculous. Six catches, 158 yards, two touchdowns. And he nearly had a third.

It's the most receiving yards in a half by a Vikings player in the last 30 yards, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Jefferson out-gained the Packers by himself in the half, 158 to 100.

The Vikings led 17-0 at the break. Follow along here for live updates.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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