Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson is having an incredible third season in the NFL. He has reached heights never before seen by a pass catcher in his first three seasons in the league, as he has already set multiple records.
Jefferson has the most receiving yards for a player through their first three seasons in the NFL despite having four games remaining in his third season. He also has the most 100+ yard games in that span and will be looking to add to those numbers in the coming weeks.
In addition to those accolades, Jefferson is going to be making a run at a record. Calvin Johnson currently sits atop the leaderboard for most receiving yards in a single season with 1,965 yards. The LSU standout has a legitimate shot at taking down that record this season and is the favorite currently to take home the Offensive Player of the Year award.
There will be some debate about this, as with all of the records in the NFL, as Jefferson will benefit from having a 17th game to play in during the regular season. To break the record in 16 games, Jefferson will have to average 155 yards per game in the next three games.Â
That is a number that he has reached three times this season, so it is certainly within the realm of possibility that he can string together three games of that caliber. This week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts will likely be his toughest matchup, as former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore could travel with him.
If he comes up short in that game, he will have excellent opportunities to make up for it in the following three weeks. The New York Giants, with all of their injuries in the secondary, don’t have a player that can keep up with Jefferson in the secondary. His final two opponents on the season are NFC North rivals he has already torched this season.
In Week 17, the Vikings play against the Green Bay Packers, whom Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. In the regular season finale, the Vikings face off with the Chicago Bears, who surrendered 12 receptions and 154 yards to Jefferson in Week 5.
During his record-breaking season, Johnson averaged 122.1 yards per game. If Justin Jefferson can get up to that number through 17 games, it would make calling him the single-season receiving yard king a little easier.
