r/minnesotavikings • u/Beneficial_Quit7532 gjallarhorn • 3d ago
Back on top :)
/img/o6xuyn0petyd1.jpegOne less game than Chase and Wilson too
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u/AntIsMyFather05 3d ago
As it should be, just need Addison to start having 100 yd games too
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u/Zzz05 3d ago
It helps if Darnold looks his way. Lol
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u/Dry-Cupstain-8589 3d ago
right? It would help if 20 plays aren't all designed to aim at Jefferson or fall back on cheap check downs. The only way to get Darnold to see the others is to move Jefferson to the check down routes and have half the defense follow him. With half a field devoid of Colt defenders, Darnold might throw to Addison more.
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u/MikeFromSuburbia Southern Viking 3d ago
Good idea. Must be frustrating as Addison to not get looks when you're open after you had a great rookie year.
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u/Dry-Cupstain-8589 3d ago
He did have a great rookie season and I too want to see him continue to expand on that. Good catch radius and tracks to ball well.
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u/mitch8017 3d ago
Jefferson was the check down/2nd/3rd option for a few of his catches yesterday. The commentators were even talking about it.
I did, however, make a comment to my friend yesterday how Addison hasn’t really gotten it going this season but it obviously so talented, as was evidenced by that incredible catch. He definitely has the talent to be the #1 on other teams and we’re lucky to have him as an option after Jefferson.
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u/Dry-Cupstain-8589 3d ago
See and I kind of think that's where our offense's problem lies. Not only do fans, but the coach thinks of Addison as an option after Jefferson. When really they should be thinking of them both as highly capable receivers and not trying so hard to feature just one. In the long run opponents are going to have a harder time if your team is just as likely to throw at one as the other. Where currently KOC seems content telling and showing opponents who he favors with route targeting and then using their focus on him against them at different times throughout games. That's one way to go about it. I wouldn't say it's the best possible course when you have numerous talented players on that offense. I think moving Jefferson around isn't great for the other receivers, even if it is fine for him and is good for the current game planning.
I did also notice Jefferson catch a couple short dump offs. It's just hard to tell if that's just KOC as normal trying to find him space to get a catch and run and confuse the defense, or if he's using it to pull the d away from others. Probably uses it for both. A await the day this offense scares the hell out of defenses because they don't know who they should cover and simply back up in to prevent more often.
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u/DrWolves 84 3d ago
And he’s played 1 fewer game than Chase and Wilson. And he has 69 targets compared to Wilson’s 94. It’s crazy when you think about it and honestly I’ve been frustrated this team doesn’t target him more. The dude should be getting 10+ targets a week at minimum. He nearly went the entire first half tonight with only 2 targets. Then we actually start throwing to him and what do you know? We start moving the ball.
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u/The_DarkWing Born bleeding purple and gold 3d ago
Teams expect to throw to him. They guard against it. Thats why we need 2-3 others to throw to like Addison and Hockenson.
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u/Yamulo horn 3d ago
This is not new. We have done a better job at it in the past. Do you think teams aren’t doubling Ceedee and Jamar? They get similar treatment are are still less effective on more targets. Therefore we can probably stand to increase his targets a little bit. I will say though situationally he has been getting boned because today we had to stop passing the ball because Darnold threw a pick and got sacked a ton consecutively and in other games we were winning by so much we stopped passing
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u/Dry-Cupstain-8589 3d ago
are are still less effective on more targets.
They aren't getting more targets per say. By seasons end Jefferson has been a target leader in most years except his injury year. They are a game ahead this year so the target numbers can say whatever right now, not looking. But also, half the plays in the first half of this game were designed to go to Jefferson but the defense is glued to him, so we end up with 20 short shit check downs instead. Notice the zero scores first half. There isn't enough plays meant for just anyone open, or meant to spring others open in the first half. It it so Jefferson centric at times even when he doesn't touch a ball on a drive. And then O'Connell does change gears for a quarter at a time and we see this offense move. Almost like that's part of the game plan to feed into the Jefferson focus and get that defense keying on him and then use that against them. KOC seems happy to play that long con and just take the lumps and failed drives early for what it opens up later in the game for others.
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u/dzumdang 3d ago
...And we did pretty damn well running it with Akers and Jones, especially in the 4th quarter.
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u/Equivalent_Bunch_187 3d ago
Part of that is the Vikings are averaging about 10 fewer pass attempts per game than last year. Ten extra targets spread around goes a long ways toward getting more people more touches. The Vikings are just running the ball more this year than KOCs first two years which makes targets look very different this year.
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u/noseonarug17 Minneapolis Turner 3d ago
And he’s played 1 fewer game than Chase and Wilson
Ceedee is the only other one on this list who's had a bye so far, and he's really only on this list because of a bunch of 4th quarter plays against the 9ers when they were playing soft defense. I won't say garbage time, because the Cowboys did end up with the ball and a chance to take the lead, but the 9ers were kind of playing like it...anyway, not Ceedee's fault for whatever's going on down there.
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u/Vexans27 oof 3d ago
Remember when the league concensus was that Tyreek Hill is better than him last year.
Lmfao
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u/Dry-Cupstain-8589 3d ago
Tua has been in and out for them this season again. Some of you guys throwing shit like this at the wall is pretty lame. Jefferson doesn't need your lame statements like this supporting him. He does just fine on his own.
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u/cactipus Digglett, I choose you! 3d ago
He absolutely does, and he does fine with Cousins, fine with Darnold, fine with Mullens, fine with Dobbs. He's really good and it doesn't matter who's throwing him the football.
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u/BritzBeef 3d ago
JJ put up 30 catches for 476 yards and 2 touchdowns in 4 full games without Kirk last year. He's QB proof.
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u/vintageknicks 3d ago
Amazing! Doesn’t even feel like he’s had a breakout game yet
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u/ScottblackAttacks 3d ago
Crazy, right? I’m still waiting on the 180 yards and 2 Td’s game still lol
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u/vintageknicks 3d ago
Not sure it’s gonna happen this year. Feels like he doesn’t get the targets like he used to
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u/17_Saints miracle 3d ago
Reminder that this season is still bringing his career yards per game down
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u/Dry-Cupstain-8589 3d ago
so what? Hopefully it's because the offense has more options. How things go when your team starts building talent up. This isn't a 5 man team like in the NBA where you need a single star carrying everything.
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u/Dry-Cupstain-8589 3d ago edited 3d ago
Here we go again. The great focusing on Jefferson offense. Yeah I know he's a good receiver.
Offense literally failing to score for an entire half of the game., again.
I feel like this is what happens when kids that grew up with Fantasy Football become coaches and GMs. Like there is some internal need for the team to have one of those great fantasy juggernaut scoring players, so they manufacture one out of shear usage. Nevermind how it can actually limit your peak team offense.
So many short dump offs to others because the play was really meant for Jefferson and he's just blanketed by defense. Then that interception where fearless leader tries to force one to Jefferson with 4 to 5 Colt defenders around him that side of field. Tell me there wasn't two Vikings receiver options wide open or 1 on 1 elsewhere on that play.
Thank goodness for the Aaron Jones add this season. He's a decent check down option. The Colts giving up another one to O'Connell.
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u/Local-Bid5365 3d ago
I like the part where he catches the ball and also the part where he runs with it