MINNEAPOLIS — About a half-hour before his first game as a head coach in the National Football League, Kevin O’Connell found Justin Jefferson.
The rookie head coach had been making his way up and down the sideline, hugging Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, playing catch with wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell and shaking the hand of his quarterback, Kirk Cousins.
Advertisement
Jefferson was readying for pregame drills when O’Connell stopped him. The coach patted No. 18 in purple on the shoulder, chatted with him for a few seconds, then slapped Jefferson’s helmet with a smile as if to say: You are special.
The football world knew this before the Vikings’ convincing 23-7 victory over the Packers on Sunday, but Jefferson’s nine-catch performance for 184 yards and two touchdowns further cemented his limitless potential in a new system designed to highlight his ability.
“He’s probably going to be the No. 1 receiver (in the league),” veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith said after the game.
Against one of the NFL’s most vaunted secondaries, Jefferson, 23 years old and in his third season, amassed 158 yards in the first half — a record for a franchise that counts Cris Carter and Randy Moss as alumni.
At times, Jefferson was surrounded by so much grass and so few defenders that even he said he was surprised.
“Kind of,” he said.
Miss the @JJettas2 Griddy?
📺: #GBvsMIN on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2022
O’Connell agreed.
“You expect him to get taken away a little bit,” he said.
So why wasn’t he?
How did the man who broke the NFL record for most receiving yards in the first two seasons of his career find so much space Sunday?
It begins with an entirely new offensive scheme, brought in by O’Connell, who last year was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion Rams. As has been discussed often in the past few months, the new collection of Vikings plays is constructed to dissect a defense’s approach and help the ball find the best matchups.
“I credit Adam (Thielen) and K.J. (Osborn) and Jalen (Reagor) and obviously Irv (Smith Jr.) and the rest of the group,” O’Connell said. “They play a complementary role in helping get Justin open a few times and then obviously to make the plays in between some of those opps to keep us alive and give us more plays and give us more opportunities.”
Advertisement
Jefferson said the Vikings expected to see a heavy number of double teams on him in the form of cloud coverage over the top. To combat that, the Vikings realized Jefferson could take advantage of space over the middle — and they lined him up everywhere.
“You’ve got to give them credit,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “They put him in premier spots and attacked our coverage well.”
GO DEEPER
How much will Vikings QB Kirk Cousins improve under new coach Kevin O'Connell?
Jefferson motioned from out wide to the backfield. He was placed in the slot. So were Thielen, Osborn, Smith and tight end Johnny Mundt. Running back Dalvin Cook, who racked up 90 yards on 20 carries, spent time out wide. Fullback C.J. Ham was all over the place. All of these options posed pre-snap challenges for the Packers.
After the snap, when the offensive line provided Cousins with enough time, the quarterback was able to find Jefferson from the first drive onward.
Justin Jefferson is good at football. He scores his 2nd TD of the day! @JJettas2 #Skol
📺: #GBvsMIN on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2022
Citing the above catch, Jefferson’s second touchdown of the day, Cousins’ thoughts drifted back to the beginning of the receiver’s career. In 2020, Jefferson snagged a pass against the Titans and, with two defenders breathing down his neck, knifed his way toward the end zone and scored.
“There’s a specific trait (of his) that I think is special,” Cousins said, “and it’s his ability to finish plays. … I said to him today, ‘A lot of guys go out at the 3 there. The fact that you got us six points and we don’t have to bring out the goal-line offense, that’s elite.’”
There’s no better word to define the player who once was a no-name freshman wide receiver at LSU. The Tigers coaches believed he could be great, that he could not only navigate the slot because of his speed but also beat press coverage on the outside.
Advertisement
They believed, as did the Vikings when they selected him with the 22nd pick in 2020, that his body control and catch radius left room for an unmatched ceiling.
Two seasons have solidified those beliefs. But if Sunday’s performance offers any hint about what’s to come for Jefferson, working with this coach in this system, it’s hard not to take Smith’s No. 1 prediction seriously.
With Jefferson’s brilliance out of the way, here are other notes from Minnesota’s Week 1 victory:
‘Edge Department’ turns in impressive first game
Danielle Hunter recalled a moment earlier this offseason when defensive coordinator Ed Donatell was chatting with him, Smith and the entire group of Vikings edge rushers. Donatell stood and stared, then spoke.
“Edge Department,” he said. “I like you guys.”
On their first day on the job together, the Edge Department wreaked havoc on the Packers offensive line, a group decimated by the absences of tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins. Hunter and Smith recorded sacks on Aaron Rodgers. So did D.J. Wonnum and Jordan Hicks. According to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings defense totaled nine hurries on Rodgers.
Among those who were unsurprised by their dominant performances was a quarterback who has faced Hunter and Smith as the opposition: Cousins.
“One coach said last year, ‘I would sell my soul for two great pass rushers,’” Cousins said. “When you have two guys who can really roll and stay healthy, the difference it makes on your success level in this league is significant.”
The two directors of the Edge Department ran out of the tunnel together before kickoff and during the game flashed what has made them both Pro Bowl picks.
GO DEEPER
What can the Vikings expect from pass rushers Danielle Hunter, Za'Darius Smith in 2022?
Offensive line shows growth
Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill did not hesitate. In the leadup to Sunday’s season opener, a reporter referred to the Packers defensive line as violent. O’Neill interrupted.
Advertisement
“We’re a violent group, too,” he said. “I think you’re going to see a better offensive line from us than you have the past couple of years.”
One game into the 2022 season, so far so good.
The Packers sacked Cousins only once Sunday — on a pressure allowed by rookie right guard Ed Ingram.
It was Ingram’s first game as a pro, and at times it showed. On back-to-back drives in the first half, veteran Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark wiggled past him and into Cousins’ face.
No other Vikings offensive lineman allowed more than two pressures. Second-year tackle Christian Darrisaw attributes some of the success to the players the offensive linemen are squaring off against. Remember the Edge Department?
“Some teams don’t have two stud defensive ends,” Darrisaw said. “Getting those reps against those guys is great. They’re not the same. They’re different. They’ve got unique moves and skill sets. Going against those two guys, just like our interior against Dalvin Tomlinson and Harrison Phillips, it’s great.”
The best of the rest
• After the game, Cousins approached Vikings co-owner Zygi Wilf and asked if he could present two game balls to Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell after their first victories in their new roles. Inside the locker room, Cousins presented the balls to them. “I believe strongly that everything rises and falls with leadership,” he said, “and those guys are our leaders. We’ve got to go where they take us.”
Nobody is more fired up than this guy 🔥🔥🔥
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 12, 2022
• For all the questions about the Vikings not choosing to play their starters during the preseason — and how that would affect their preparation in the new offensive scheme — Cousins said the Vikings scrimmaged twice with O’Connell calling plays to simulate what the opener would feel like. “I think the simulation worked based on how today felt,” Cousins said. “It didn’t feel foreign. But in the noise next week (on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Philadelphia), that adds another element.”
Advertisement
• Smith, who signed with the Vikings this spring after three years in Green Bay, said the Packers offense mirrored what he remembered about the team’s philosophy. Smith also said the 49ers operate similarly. “And we got a chance to go against them in training camp,” he said, referencing the August joint practices at TCO Performance Center. “So, we’ve been seeing it for a while.”
• Rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. left the game with a quad injury and did not return. Cornerback Cameron Dantzler exited with cramps but did return.
• Greg Joseph booted a career-long 56-yard field goal, which tied the longest in Vikings franchise history. O’Connell lauded the kicker for his 3-for-3 performance and was also complimentary of Jalen Reagor, who was back to return several punts. “I just think the three phases of our football team showed up with a really concise plan of attack,” the coach said.
(Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
