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After securing only their second win of the 2024 NFL season with an exciting effort against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Raiders have found themselves with the unenviable task of slowing down one of the best receivers in the NFL: Justin Jefferson.
Serving as the focal point of one of the most surprisingly successful teams in the NFL, Jefferson already has 531 yards and five touchdowns on only 33 receptions, even if he's having a “down year” by his usual metrics. He remains effective all over the field, and unsurprisingly, he's quickly formed a connection with Sam Darnold, as the USC QB knows where his bread gets buttered.
Discussing the challenges of trying to slow down Jefferson, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula revealed that defenses can't sell out to stop the LSU product completely, as the Vikings have enough offensive talent around him to make one-on-ones pay.
“You're exactly right. He is the best in the world so you better have a plan for him. I know every team he plays against does. That's the challenging part of the NFL,” Shula told reporters.
“You go from playing one of the best tight ends in the league [Raiders TE Brock Bowers] to now playing one of the best receivers in the league. That's the challenging part but that's also the fun part of it. We have guys that hopefully are ready to step up to the challenge. They also have other great players so like you said, the more resources you put to stop in Justin Jefferson now… Jordan Addison's obviously a great player as well, [TJ] Hockenson, if he plays, you have Aaron Jones. You have a bunch of guys that can make plays, so you have to be ready to mix up your looks and keep playing sound football.”
With four players who have already recorded at least 180 passing yards in 2024, the Vikings really do have a balanced attack between their passing and rushing offense, running the ball 10 times more than they've thrown it. If the Rams want to slow the Vikings' offense down, they'll have to respect everyone, not just the pride of LSU.
Cooper Kupp believes the Rams know the Vikings' offense well
While it will certainly be a challenge to slow down the Vikings' offense in Week 8, they do have one advantage in the familiarity of Minnesota's offensive personnel, including their head coach, offensive coordinator, and senior offensive assistant.
In Rams receiver Cooper Kupp's opinion, that familiarity should make things easier, all the while making for some fun conversations after the game.
“I haven't really thought about it. Obviously, I love those guys. [Vikings Head Coach] Kevin [O'Connell], [Vikings Offensive Coordinator] Wes [Phillips] and I believe [Vikings Senior Offensive Assistant] Chris O'Hara's still over there as well. You go through all these experiences with them and with some of those guys, the highs and the lows,” Kupp noted.
“You have so many memories of just the journey, the ins and outs of the meetings and I'm always going to always be cheering for those guys except for on Thursday, obviously. It will be nice to see them again and just shake their hands and talk a little bit. It is special. It's special what this game is and what it provides to you and just the relationships that are built just as you put together a plan and go through adversity and being able to have people that you've… like, man, we've gone through this together. It builds a pretty cool bond. It's one of those cool things about football is we get to see them.”
No matter who pulls out the win in Week 8, it's safe to assume that bragging rights will be firmly on the line on Thursday Night Football, as coaches and players alike will be able to rib their peers depending on the final outcome.
