J.J. McCarthy, Justin Jefferson still trying to establish a connection

Jefferson has played seven games with McCarthy and been held below 50 receiving yards in five of them.

J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson are still trying to dial in their connection. | Jeffrey Becker, Imagn Images

J.J. McCarthy's breakout performance last week against the Commanders included a lot of encouraging signs of progress. Albeit against a very poor defense, the 22-year-old quarterback was decisive and accurate while throwing three touchdown passes and avoiding any turnovers.

One thing the performance didn't include was much of a pass-catching role for Justin Jefferson, as the Vikings' superstar receiver remains stuck in the quietest statistical season of his incredible career. Jefferson caught just two passes for 11 yards in the win, one week after having two catches for 4 yards in a shutout loss in Seattle. Before this two-week stretch, he had never once been held below 14 receiving yards in a game.

It's been a trying season for Jefferson, both in terms of team success (with the Vikings at 5-8) and in terms of his individual production. He's sitting on 810 receiving yards through 13 games — an average of 62.3 per game that is way down from the NFL-record 96.5-yard average he came into this season with. And of his six biggest games this season, five came with Carson Wentz at quarterback.

Max Brosmer was at quarterback in the Seahawks game, but in McCarthy's seven starts, Jefferson has averaged only 47 yards per contest, with a peak of 81 in Week 2 against the Falcons. The two are still trying to get on the same page and find a connection.

"I think the more experience (we get versus) certain looks (will help)," McCarthy said this week. "He sees the game completely different than I do, from his perspective. And being able to see what he does on tape on the back side of things and me coming to the sideline, seeing something on the iPad and saying 'Hey, maybe if we throttle this down right here and (KOC) calls it again, that's gonna be a nice void right there for you to sit and catch that ball.'

"But it's just growing along the way. We're seeing new defenses, going against new players, new coaches, and there's gonna be more obstacles that come. And it's just how good is our relationship and communication to be able to overcome those and prepare us for future obstacles."

Throughout all of the difficulties of this season, Jefferson has done nothing but say the right things. He's praised McCarthy and tried to help build up his young quarterback's confidence. He hasn't once complained about his personal production. He's been the ultimate leader and captain. That continued to be the case in his weekly press conference on Thursday.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

"When you really look at it and you see how he comes to practice and you see the confidence that he carries himself with and the poise, the focus that he carries himself with, he's a great quarterback," Jefferson said of McCarthy. "He has the potential to be way bigger than what people think he is. He's just gotta continue to be focused ... and have consistent games, back to back, instead of just those one-offs."

There have been a variety of reasons for Jefferson's unusually pedestrian receiving numbers in McCarthy's starts. A lot of it has certainly fallen on the young quarterback, who has delivered inaccurate throws and missed some opportunities that were there on tape. Even when McCarthy plays well, the Vikings have adjusted their offense to be more about running the ball and throwing shorter passes to try to make life easier on him.

Jefferson, who continues to command heavy defensive attention, has also had some uncharacteristic struggles to come down with contested catch opportunities when he's gotten them.

This sets up as a good week for McCarthy and Jefferson to find a rhythm and rapport. No NFL team allows more passing yards per game than the Cowboys, who rank 30th in opponent EPA per dropback. And with Dallas having an explosive offense, the Vikings are likely going to need to air it out a bit with McCarthy to have a chance to keep pace on the scoreboard.

If Jefferson is going to reach 1,000 yards for the sixth straight season to begin his career — something only previously done by Randy Moss and Mike Evans — this would be a good time to put a dent in the 190 he still needs. It's a primetime showdown at AT&T Stadium, a place Jefferson has never played before. These are the moments he lives for.

"That's definitely a goal that I wanna reach, and it's pretty close," Jefferson said of the 1K mark. "There's definitely more work to be done, and hopefully this is one of my breakout games."