Justin Jefferson keeps his 1,000-yard streak alive with time to spare

Jefferson and the Vikings got the yards they needed before halftime on Sunday.

Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) warms up prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Justin Jefferson came into Sunday's regular season finale needing 53 yards to reach 1,000 for a sixth straight season to begin his NFL career. That was clearly a priority for Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings, who got their superstar player to that milestone well before halftime at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Hitting the mark with a 17-yard catch in the second quarter, Jefferson became the third player in NFL history to reach the 1K mark in each of their first six seasons. He joins Randy Moss and Mike Evans in that group. Jefferson also recently broke Moss's record for receiving yards in a player's first six seasons, after breaking the equivalent record in each of the past four years.

J.J. McCarthy's first pass of the day was an 18-yard completion to Jefferson, ripping off a third of the yardage he needed. Two plays later, O'Connell dialed up a pop pass to Jefferson while he was in motion, which went for another 10 receiving yards despite functioning more as a handoff. Later in the drive, Jefferson took a short pass for 11 yards on 3rd and 17, setting up a field goal. Four minutes into the game, he already had 39 of the 53 yards he needed.

Later in the first quarter, Jefferson caught a 12-yard pass. And midway through the second, he picked up 17 yards to bust through the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

.@JJettas2 becomes the 3rd player in NFL history with 1k receiving yards in each of his first 6 seasons.#Skol

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/uE25yk6JyS

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 4, 2026

It's been a uniquely difficult season for Jefferson, who normally would've blown past 1K several weeks ago in a year where he's been fully healthy. He's been hurt by the struggles of the Vikings' passing game as a whole and has oddly struggled to develop any sort of connection with McCarthy.

McCarthy being injured all of last year and Jefferson being hurt in training camp this year didn't help in that regard. At times, McCarthy's issues with accuracy have hurt Jefferson. At the same time, Jefferson has dropped more passes than ever before and failed to come down with contested catch opportunities at the rate you'd expect.

All along, Jefferson has said the right things and given public support to his young quarterback. He said this week that getting together with McCarthy and building their chemistry will be a priority over the course of the offseason.

Jefferson had five catches for 68 yards at the time this story was published. Plenty of time remains for him to reach 100 yards in a game with McCarthy for the first time ever.