The Minnesota Vikings may be 12-4 on the season, but that only looks good on the surface. Justin Jefferson admitted as much after he was made aware that they have a negative scoring differential this campaign.
Following their brutal 41-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, the Vikings have now allowed opponents to outscore them more than than the points they have made this season. Minnesota has scored a total of 395 points, but opponents have dropped 419 on them for a point differential of -24.
Jefferson, who was a non-factor on Sunday as he struggled offensively and made just one catch for 15 yards, was in disbelief about the stat. Nonetheless, he said that it's definitely something they must fix if they want to contend in the playoffs.
“That's crazy to think about, and that just goes to all the times that we lose and we lose by 30. Every single time we lose. That's something tough to deal with… we can't allow that to happen,” Jefferson shared, via Andrew Krammer of Star Tribune.
The Vikings' ugly scoring differential is a huge proof of their defensive struggles this 2022. While they have proven they can score and light it up–even coming back from massive leads–the fact remains that their defense has been their biggest issue all season long.
And true enough, they cannot let opponents keep exploiting their defense, especially come playoff time when every play matters. That concerning problem could very well what ends up dooming Justin Jefferson and co. in the postseason.
Of course there's no easy or quick fix for it. The Vikings would have done it already if there's one. With that said, the pressure is on Minnesota to make sure they don't repeat the same mistakes they did defensively throughout the year when the playoff battles start.
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