As he’s done all season, rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson provided a bright spot on an otherwise dismal day for the Minnesota Vikings in their loss to the Chicago Bears.
With his eight-catch, 104-yard performance, Jefferson surpassed Randy Moss’ team record of receptions in a season by a rookie receiver. Moss had set the mark with 69 receptions in his incredible rookie year of 1998, and Jefferson is now at 73 after his performance yesterday.
Jefferson is now up to 1,182 receiving yards on the season, which puts him within striking distance of Moss’ record for rookie receiving yards, which sits at 1,313. He needs 132 yards over the next two weeks to surpass that mark.
The 104 yards for Jefferson also marked his sixth 100-yard performance, extending the Vikings’ rookie record that he set back in Week 13.
While Jefferson is close to Moss’ rookie marks for the Vikings’ franchise, he’s also within striking distance of having the most receiving yards of any rookie since the AFL/NFL merger. Right now, he’s in fifth place on that list. Here’s who is ahead of him:
- Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals, 2003 - 1,377 yards
- Randy Moss, Minnesota Vikings, 1998 - 1,313 yards
- Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants, 2014 - 1,306 yards
- Michael Clayton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004 - 1,193 yards
- Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings, 2018 - 1,182 yards
Jefferson would need 196 yards in the final two weeks to surpass Boldin. It’s a significant number, but given that he’s already gone over 100 yards six times this season it isn’t completely out of reach.