Jefferson tops OBJ

With the previous record holder looking on from the opposing sideline, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson made history on his third catch Sunday, racking up the most receiving yards ever by a player in his first two seasons, surpassing the mark Los Angeles Rams wideout Odell Beckham Jr. set in 2015 with the New York Giants.

With 12:47 to go in the third quarter, Jefferson caught a 9-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to convert a third-and-6 play and give him 23 receiving yards on the afternoon. The Vikings second-year receiver needed 21 yards entering Sunday to surpass Beckham’s record of 2,755 receiving yards. Jefferson now has 2,851 receiving yards after finishing with eight catches for 116 yards in the Vikings’ 30-23 loss Sunday.

“Blessed, honor to God, just being in this situation, breaking his record with him (Beckham) in the building,” Jefferson said. “It was no other perfect situation for me. But a dub would definitely be better with that record, but move on.”

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Ramsey lined up across from Jefferson pre-snap 22 times on Sunday. Jefferson finished with 40 yards on four catches with Ramsey as the nearest defender, compared with 76 yards when anyone else was the nearest defender.

Jefferson’s latest career milestone came on a day where early struggles for the Vikings’ offense proved costly in a loss that shrank Minnesota’s playoff chances to 16 percent according to ESPN’s FPI.

Trivia answer

Harden, Jerry West, Nate Archibald and Oscar Robertson. Archibald is the only other player to lead the league in points and assists in the same year.