The Minnesota Vikings might be catching the Green Bay Packers at the perfect time to finally get Justin Jefferson going again.
Green Bay's secondary is dealing with some pretty significant injury concerns heading into Sunday's matchup at Lambeau Field. Safeties Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard are both questionable, while linebacker Zaire Franklin is doubtful.
McKinney was a late addition to Friday's injury report with a foot injury, which is particularly notable given how important he's been to Green Bay's defense.
For Jefferson, this could be the opening he's been waiting for.
The Vikings superstar has had plenty of reasons to be frustrated this season. Through seven appearances with Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, he's caught just 31 passes for 393 yards and four touchdowns.
Against Buffalo last week, Jefferson finished with three catches for 58 yards despite getting 11 targets. A week earlier against Detroit, he managed only five receptions for 33 yards.
Anyone who's watched Jefferson throughout his career knows Minnesota should be getting considerably more out of him.
Minnesota Vikings have a chance to get creative with Justin Jefferson against the Green Bay Packers
Kevin O'Connell doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to take advantage of Green Bay's injury problems -- he just needs to get Jefferson into some better situations.
With T.J. Hockenson unavailable and Jordan Addison potentially joining him on the sideline, moving Jefferson into the slot more frequently makes plenty of sense.
Game plan for Sunday: just do this. pic.twitter.com/owx1KE9IfB
— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) November 13, 2026
Putting Jefferson inside would give Minnesota opportunities to attack the middle of Green Bay's defense, especially if McKinney or Bullard can't play.
Crossing routes, deep over routes, and pre-snap motion could force the Packers' safeties to communicate and exchange coverage responsibilities. That's a lot tougher when the guys handling those assignments aren't necessarily the regular starters.
McKinney, who already has five interceptions this season, would be a particularly big loss.
The Packers' latest injury report leaves both safeties' availability uncertain.
Of course, Jefferson can't catch passes if the quarterback doesn't get him the ball. But we all know how that went in Kirk Cousins' first time around
Kirk Cousins and Jefferson have already shown what they can do together
Cousins being back under center is enough to give Vikings fans another reason to believe Jefferson could be in for a big afternoon.
During their previous time together in Minnesota, Jefferson caught 354 passes for 5,338 yards and 28 touchdowns across 54 games with Cousins at quarterback.
That includes his ridiculous 2022 season, when he finished with 128 receptions, 1,809 yards, and eight touchdowns.
Nobody should expect Cousins to instantly recreate that production, especially with limited preparation time. Not to mention, he was three years younger in 2023. But these two have a history of making life miserable for opposing secondaries.
Jefferson also torched Green Bay for eight catches, 92 yards, and two touchdowns in their first meeting this season.
The Packers aren't suddenly going to forget how to cover receivers if McKinney or Bullard sits out. They'll still have options for bracketing Jefferson, and Minnesota's offensive line needs to give Cousins enough time to find him.
But with Addison questionable and Jauan Jennings already ruled out, O'Connell might not have much choice but to lean heavily on his best player.
The Vikings should move Jefferson around before the snap, put him in the slot, and force Green Bay to figure out who's responsible for covering him. If the Packers are missing either starting safety, Minnesota has even more reason to test those coverage assignments early and often.
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