Vikings' Justin Jefferson has 5th straight 1,000-yard season to start career, matching feat few have achieved
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson continues to build his case for being the best in the game.
In Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals, Jefferson caught seven balls for 99 yards, giving him 1,038 receiving yards on the season. This marks Jefferson's fifth-straight 1,000-yard season to start his career.
Only three other wide receivers have started their careers with at least five such seasons — Vikings legend Randy Moss, who did it for six seasons from 1998-2003; A.J. Green, who logged five straight with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2011-2015; and Mike Evans, who since he entered the NFL in 2014 has had 1,000-plus yards in all 10 seasons, though injury may keep him from reaching it this year.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said in a recent podcast appearance that Jefferson garners coverage from opposing teams that no other receiver in the league does. He echoed those comments after Sunday's win and again complimented Jefferson for fighting through it.
"I just think he's incredibly productive considering the circumstances of what he has to do in a 60-minute game," O'Connell said. "But nobody's going to make any excuses, it's my job to find a way to get him to the ball as our best player and we're going to continue to do that."
Jefferson, 25, has 460 catches for 6,937 yards and 35 touchdowns in his young career. He's averaging 96.3 yards a game for his career, not only the highest among active players but the best-ever mark among qualifying players. Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson is second at 86.1.
The Vikings signed Jefferson to the richest non-quarterback contract in NFL history this offseason.
The 10-2 Vikings are a game behind the Lions in the NFC North and have a firm hold on a wild card spot.
