Minnesota Vikings: 8 Bold Predictions for the 2020 Season
By Chris Schad
Justin Jefferson will take off…in November
During the opening weeks of training camp, the drumbeat over Jefferson was a strong one. After posting a ridiculous catch on his Instagram account, Jefferson showed up to training camp and started making highlight-reel grabs that were posted frequently on the team’s Twitter account. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak gushed about his potential and Jefferson stated that the Vikings offense was similar to the one he played in at LSU.
Just as everything was laid out for Jefferson to hit the ground running, the brakes were slammed on his hype train with the news that Bisi Johnson had overtaken him for the No. 2 receiver spot.
You’ll have to forgive Viking fans if visions of Laquon Treadwell or Troy Williamson were running through their heads with that piece of news, but it seems like everything will still be OK if Vikings fans are patient.
On a recent episode of The Homer Horn Podcast, Zone Coverage’s Sam Ekstrom described the situation similar to the one that A.J. Brown endured in Tennessee. Brown started the year slow with 27 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns in his first 10 games but exploded down the stretch for 25 catches, 605 yards, and five touchdowns in his final six.
Jefferson’s path to learning the offense has been slow without a typical offseason and being placed on the COVID-19 list at the beginning of training camp didn’t help. But if Jefferson finishes with a flurry as Brown did in 2019, Vikings fans will be thrilled.