It’s been a forgetful 2025 NFL season for Minnesota Vikings‘ Justin Jefferson, who again didn’t have much of an impact as you expect from him in the 34-26 win over the Dallas Cowboys on December 14 at AT&T Stadium.
Jefferson has managed 22 receiving yards or fewer in each of his last three games. His numbers only get worse when considering he’s only had two games over 100 receiving yards all season, with only three games left in the campaign.
The LSU product will just need to toss the tape of all his games from this season into the bin and work with J.J. McCarthy to ensure that in 2026, both are on the same page to get the Vikings back to the playoffs.
Nonetheless, former Vikings wideout Cris Carter shared his thoughts on the situation and what might be the issue behind Jefferson’s struggles all season, aside from a handful of games.
“This is the first time during Justin Jefferson’s career that they can’t attack the full field,” Carter said on the December 15 edition of “Up & Adams.” “Ever since his rookie year in [Kevin O’Connell’s] offense, they’ve been able to throw the ball, especially taking deep shots off play action. You can see that he’s starting to press.
“He’s not seeing the numbers he’s used to. Randy Moss had some of the same issues—he was so successful early in his career that when things became difficult, and they only got difficult with inconsistency at quarterback, he started pressing.”
Cris Carter Applauds Vikings’ Justin Jefferson
While Carter explained what could be the root of the Vikings star’s struggles, he also had another message for the player. The Minnesota legend highlighted how Jefferson is handling this adversity, noting that other wide receivers might have made their frustration known publicly.
“Justin Jefferson is a lot better than me, and I think KOC is doing a great job by meeting with him weekly, informing him where they are as a team,“ Carter added. “He has tremendous input. I would have said something.
“[Jefferson] is doing a great job trying to be the team leader and everything we need him to be. I’m glad that he’s not acting out like A.J. Brown is doing in Philadelphia, because that would really hurt the quarterback’s growth and affect him in a drastic way.”
Justin Jefferson Sends Strong Message to J.J. McCarthy
Jefferson displayed his leadership following the win over Dallas. He shared his perspective on what he has observed from McCarthy over the past two outings, as the rookie quarterback works to finish the season with momentum.
“Coming off of last week’s game, a 31-0 victory, that’s something to have confidence in and really feed off of, “ Jefferson told reporters. “Coming into this week, we had a similar game plan as last week, keeping everything pretty simple and letting [McCarthy] go out there and play freely. It just comes down to executing the plays.
“I feel like all 11 guys went out there with the mindset to win this game and do whatever we need to do to score points and be ahead when the clock hits zero. I’m just proud of him, leading this team and this offense. Of course, we still have work to do, need to make improvements, and have a game next week, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
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