Chants of "M-V-P" rained down from Vikings fans following Justin Jefferson's second touchdown of the first half in Sunday's 23-7 blowout win over division rival Green Bay.
If a wide receiver is ever to win NFL MVP, it needs to come on a campaign kicked off in a fashion like Jefferson did Sunday.
The wideout was unstoppable with a capital U.
He earned a career-high 184 yards on nine catches with two touchdowns.
"I feel like a little kid today, waking up this morning, excited for the game, especially for this type of rivalry," Jefferson said, . "I live for these types of big games, so I'm glad I had this type of start."
Sunday's explosion gave Jefferson 205 receptions for his career. The 34 games it took the receiver to reach the 200-plateau is the fourth-fastest in NFL history (Odell Beckham, 30 games; Michael Thomas, 32; Jarvis Landry, 33).
Jefferson has 15 career games with 100-plus receiving yards, tied with Cooper Kupp for second-most since 2020 (Davante Adams 16).
The explosive wideout got open every which way, torturing Packers defensive backs from all angles.
The Vikings hired coach Kevin O'Connell to help unlock the offensive talent. It showed in the season opener, with Jefferson moving all around the formation to get advantageous matchups. Jefferson lined up 41 snaps wide, 12 in the slot, two in the backfield, and one tight. He also went in motion on seven plays, catching four of his passes on those snaps.
"I definitely like the motioning," Jefferson said, "and just seeing the whole field. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it a lot more."
From the Packers' perspective, Sunday's plan was a disaster. The best player on the field somehow found himself wide open for big play after big play.
Corner Jaire Alexander was miffed at the plan in the locker room after the loss.
"The game plan was to not allow 18 to beat us," Alexander said, . "Why I wasn't on him, that's not my call. Anybody watch me play, you know that's what I want."
In this offense, Green Bay isn't the last secondary sure to be befuddled by Jefferson in 2022.
