EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Carson Wentz saw the flag fly for offside late in the second quarter, quickly realizing the opportunity.
With the Minnesota Vikings trying to generate some momentum against Green Bay and Justin Jefferson racing along the left sideline in one-on-one coverage, Wentz stepped forward in the pocket and looked right before pivoting toward his star wide receiver in the season opener
last week.The no-risk pass was perfectly placed in the
back of the end zone for Jefferson to slide in front of rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse — after setting him up with a slight veer to the outside — and catch it in time to drag both feet down inbounds.
“A lot of guys will struggle in those moments with a late weave or things like that, because then you still have to track the ball and know where you are and get your feet down,” Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. “So much of that play was Justin’s greatness.”
Wentz had taken over for the injured Kyler Murray, who practiced again on a limited basis on Thursday, and wisely targeted Jefferson as frequently as possible as the Vikings rallied from a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter to overwhelm the Packers by scoring the final 29 points of the game.
“The guy’s so good. He’s the best in the world at what he does, and sometimes you’ve just got to give him a chance,” Wentz said. “When it goes his way he usually finds a way to come down with it.”
Jefferson had two touchdown catches, his first multi-score game since Week 16 of the 2024 season. He matched Randy Moss for second place on the franchise's all-time list for career receptions with 587, on a pace to catch leader Cris Carter (1,004) sometime during the 2030 season.
With 916 yards over the next 16 games, Jefferson would pass Torry Holt (9,487) for the most career yards in NFL history over a player's first seven years in the league.
Most important to Jefferson, of course, was the win over the Packers that helped the Vikings properly move forward from the frustrating 2025 season that saw their passing game lag badly during J.J. McCarthy's rocky debut at quarterback.
Second on his list? Reaching the end zone at U.S. Bank Stadium again. He had only two touchdowns last season, none at home, and hadn't done that since Week 15 of the 2024 season. His frequent appearances on the videoboard during the game against the Packers last week showed an especially fired-up player.
“The juices were flowing for sure," Jefferson said. "I was definitely ready. I felt like the team was ready. The energy was high. I love those type of games.”
Jefferson and the Vikings have moved on this week to focus on their game on Sunday at Chicago, but he had more questions to field from reporters about that 39-yard touchdown catch he made look rather routine.
“Instinct, hand-eye coordination, peripheral view, there’s a lot more that goes into it than people understand,” Jefferson said. “It’s really a lot more difficult than it looks, a 40-yard throw in the back of the end zone in a crowded stadium with a brown ball, sunlight coming through. There’s a lot of barricades that kind of get in the way of you being able to track that ball and to come down with it, but I focus and practice on it all the time.”
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