Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson said Thursday he wants to get back to “Year 3 Jets,” meaning his jaw-dropping 2022 season in which he caught 128 passes for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns to win Offensive Player of the Year.
That could be scary for the Bears on Sunday.
“Just wanting to get back to that mode — I call it ‘savage mode,’ ” Jefferson said. “It’s just going out there with that ‘F’-it mentality and killing it.”
The Bears will have to deal with that without their top two cornerbacks and possibly some other key defenders. At corner, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are on injured reserve, and Tyrique Stevenson is playing through a shoulder injury. Safety Jaquan Brisker was out of practice because of a back injury.
Jefferson is on pace for his sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season to open his career. He has 51 receptions (13th in the NFL), 686 yards (eighth) and two touchdowns.
Rebuffed on Garrett
When general manager Ryan Poles said after the trade deadline that he called teams about ‘‘all of the guys you would imagine just to see the availability,’’ that apparently included arguably the best pass rusher of this era: Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
The Bears inquired about Garrett, ESPN reported, but were told he simply wasn’t available. Garrett, 29, backed down from an offseason trade request and signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension in March.
He leads the NFL with 11 sacks. He has 113½ in his nine-year career, all with the Browns, including 4½ in a 2021 game against the Bears.
Notes
Wide receiver DJ Moore (shoulder) was limited in practice after missing it Wednesday. But when asked if he’d play against the Vikings, Moore replied, “Duh.”
υ Linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring) and backup wide receiver Jahdae Walker (concussion) didn’t practice for a second consecutive day.
υ Running back D’Andre Swift (hip), tight end Cole Kmet (back) and wide receiver Rome Odunze (ankle) increased their workload and are trending in the right direction for the game against the Vikes.
The Bears seem to be catching Jefferson at the worst time as he seeks to vault himself back to the level of his spectacular 2022 season.
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When told Garrett wasn’t available, the Bears pivoted to Browns backup defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
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The NFL filed a grievance, asking the NFLPA to stop its annual team report cards, which grade clubs on everything from leadership to training-table food, according to ESPN.
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