Justin Jefferson — Week 1: Two Touchdowns, Same as All Last Year
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Jefferson caught eight of nine targets for ninety-two yards and two touchdowns — thirty-nine yards deep left from Carson Wentz with two oh two left in the half and nine yards on third and five with four oh three left — and converted all four of his third-down targets. Two of the nine targets came from Kyler Murray before he left the game, in a 39–22 win over the Packers.
When Justin Jefferson's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
The full episode, in writing
Two oh two left in the second quarter, first and 10 at the Green Bay 39, Minnesota down 12 to three. Carson Wentz threw deep left and Justin Jefferson caught it for 39 yards and a touchdown. The play was worth +3.8 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 10.2 points of win probability, the chance of winning after the play against before it, the largest gain on any Vikings pass play all afternoon. 12 to 10 at the half. The drive had faced third and eight at the Minnesota 17 with three 43 left, and Jefferson had moved it himself, three plays before the score: 17 yards short middle to the 34, +15 more on an unnecessary roughness call on Evan Williams, worth +3.1 on its own.
The line: nine targets, eight catches, 92 yards, two touchdowns, five first downs, +11.4 expected points on the targets — more than any Packers receiver, and Christian Watson's eight targets came out at +6.9. Four third-down targets, four conversions: nine yards short right from Kyler Murray on third and four with 11 19 left in the first, nine yards from Wentz on third and six at the Green Bay 46 at five oh eight, the 17-yarder on third and eight, and the second touchdown, third and five at the Green Bay nine with four oh three left in the fourth, up 32 to 22, short right, +3.0. 39 to 22. The one incompletion was deep right on second and six at the Green Bay 46 with five 13 left in the first, Wentz's first throw his way. Six targets before halftime for five catches and 76 yards; three after for three catches and 16, two of them on the drive to Aaron Jones's go-ahead touchdown.
The passer split: two targets from Murray, both caught, for 11 yards; seven from Wentz for six catches, 81 yards and both touchdowns. Nine targets led the Vikings, ahead of five to T.J. Hockenson, four to Josh Oliver, two to Jordan Addison, and one each to Jones, DeeJay Dallas and Jauan Jennings, on a day Minnesota took 27 pass plays, 17 before halftime and 10 after, and gained a hundred 51 yards through the air, 92 of them his.
Back in June the preview made no call on Jefferson: the fifth receiver at pick 10, a generational target earner coming off two touchdowns all of last season on a hundred 41 targets, with the rebound nearly automatic and already priced, and who was throwing it plus the touchdown count as the September watch. Sunday he matched last season's touchdown total in one game, on throws from a quarterback who was not the starter at kickoff. One game does not settle a rebound the preview said was already in the price; it does put two next to his name faster than last year did. Minnesota is at the Bears on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
When Justin Jefferson's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
Keep going