Is Justin Jefferson on his way to the Hall of Fame? Vikings WR chasing NFL greatness
The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the teams of the season, and players like Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook have created an offense that never gives up. Not only did they claw back 33 points this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts to complete the biggest comeback in NFL history, but they also clinched a playoff spot as NFC North champions. It is not something one expected of them earlier in the season.
The Vikings' offense, in particular, has been a revelation. Their defense has not fulfilled its side of the bargain, allowing nearly 400 yards per game, which is ranked 32nd out of 32 teams. Exceptional and clutch performances on the offense have kept them in with a fight.
Many would say this is not sustainable, but anyone who saw the New York Giants win Super Bowl XLVI with one of the worst defenses and the worst rush offense would not rule out their chances of going all the way.
One of the reasons the offense has done so well is because of Justin Jefferson. He has 1,623 receiving yards in just 14 games played this season. He has also scored 7 touchdowns. He is averaging over 115 yards per game.
To put this into perspective, this is his second consecutive season with more than 1,600 receiving yards. The season is not yet over, and he has reached the benchmark that other wide receivers used to reach over 16 games in just 14 games. In his three seasons in the NFL, he has breached the 1,600-yard mark twice. That already puts him in an elite company.
Most seasons with 1,600 rec yards in history
Years in NFL
Justin Jefferson 2 3
Calvin Johnson 2 9
Torry Holt 2 11
Antonio Brown 2 12
Julio Jones 2 12
Marvin Harrison 2 13 https://t.co/vsnpPJxvot
The likes of Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harrison are already in the Hall of Fame. That naturally begs the question of Justin Jefferson and whether he is also on the right track to joining them in Canton, Ohio.
Where do Justin Jefferson's stats stack up among the Hall of Famers?
The best way to determine if Justin Jefferson is on the way to becoming a Hall-of-Famer is to check his stats average against Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harrison.
Calvin Johnson played 135 games and had 731 receptions for 11,619 yards. That means an average of 15.9 yards per reception and 86.1 receiving yards per game. He also scored 83 touchdowns at an average of 0.615 touchdowns per game.
Marvin Harrison played 190 games and accumulated 1,102 receptions. He recorded 14,580 receiving yards at an average of 13.2 yards per catch. Harrison has an average of 76.7 receiving yards per game. He also scored 128 receiving touchdowns, at 0.674 touchdowns per game.
Looking at Justin Jefferson's numbers, he has 4,639 career receiving yards, alongside 307 receptions in 47 games. That gives him an average of 15.1 yards per reception and 98.7 receiving yards per game. He has 24 touchdowns at an average of 0.511 touchdowns per game.
A clear picture emerges here. In terms of receiving yards per catch, Jefferson is firmly ensconced between Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harrison, which is a great place to be. In terms of receiving yards per game, he is much higher than both Hall-of-Famers. Jefferson may even break Megatron's receiving yards record for the 2012 season in the coming weeks.
Justin Jefferson leads the NFL with 1,623 receiving yards...
He is on pace to break the NFL receiving yardage record by 6 yards 👀 https://t.co/8800LpbeoH
Based on these two stats alone, he is already on the way to Canton. But if there is one thing he has to improve on, it is his output in the red zone. Both Johnson and Harrison average over 0.600 touchdowns per game, whereas Jefferson is down, measuring close to 0.500.
In summation, Justin Jefferson has every possibility of becoming one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. He needs to maintain consistency when it comes to receiving yards and increase his touchdown output to remain on a glide path to getting his gold jacket.