In what’s a must-win game for the Minnesota Vikings against the Green Bay Packers, they will need a big-time game from Justin Jefferson, who has had a rollercoaster 2025 NFL season.
The Vikings’ playoff chances are slim at 4-6, but they can turn that feeling around with a road win in Green Bay on November 23. It’s in these kinds of games that Minnesota will need its star wide receiver to play a significant role in the offense.
Jefferson recorded a touchdown in the Vikings’ last road win against the Detroit Lions, so the team is hoping that he can come up with those 50-50 balls in the red zone for touchdowns.
Ahead of the Packers-Vikings game, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t hold back when it came to having to face off against one of the best receivers in the NFL.
“He is as good as they get in this business,” LaFleur told reporters on November 21. “I just love how the guy competes with the football, without the football. [As a ] matter of fact, there was a clip that we showed where you can see the urgency [with] which he plays. He catches the ball, he goes to the ground, nobody touches him, he gets up, and he gets 15 yards after going to the ground.
“He can run every route. There’s not a route he can’t run. He can run short routes, the choice routes. He can go deep on you. He’s got tremendous ball skills. I just think there’s a lot to like about his game.”
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Is Ready to Help J.J. McCarthy
Whether Jefferson can have a major impact or not against the Packers will depend on J.J. McCarthy. Nonetheless, Jefferson has stated that he intends to do his best to help him out amid his recent struggles after the Week 11 loss to the Chicago Bears.
“I mean, it wasn’t the best game for any of us,” Jefferson told reporters. “I felt like we should have played better overall. But at the end of the day, when it really counted, J.J. stepped up. That’s the main focus.
“Of course, there are things to work on and fix on the offensive side of the ball. We also need to help the defense out a lot more than we’re doing. Like I said, we have to look at the film, see what needs to be fixed, work on it, and come back ready to go.”
J.J. McCarthy Expresses Emotion Message to Veteran Leaders
Amid the struggles, McCarthy stated this week that he’s grateful for the way veterans on offense, like Jefferson, have been a helping hand through this challenging moment for him.
“They’ve been awesome,” McCarthy said about his pass-catchers while talking to reporters on November 19. “I can’t thank them enough for the patience level and the leadership out of every person in that group, them pushing me every single day to be the best version of myself and doing it in ways that a lot of people don’t see. So, you know, I just love them with all my heart and [ I am] so grateful for every single one of those boys.”
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