They’re on receiving end
Vikings standout Jefferson closing in on some history; Cowboys’ Lamb strong, too
MINNEAPOLIS — Without even a splitsecond of hesitation, quarterback Kirk Cousins can identify the exact moment when he knew the Vikings had their latest gamechanging receiver in Justin Jefferson.
The lanky first-round draft pick from LSU was a rookie in 2020, making his first career start in Week 3 against the Titans, when he ran a deep route up the left sideline on third down. Jefferson twisted his body to complete a jumping catch in tight coverage of a slightly underthrown ball and landed flat on his back to set the Vikings up for a touchdown on the next play.
Befitting his nickname, ‘‘Jet,’’ Jefferson only has taken off from there.
The 23-year-old’s portfolio of highlight-reel receptions added a new clip last Sunday when he unfathomably grabbed a fourth-and-18 pass from Cousins by leaping backward, securing the ball with one hand and winning a brief wrestle for possession against the Bills.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame requested the gloves and sleeve Jefferson wore for that game, which the Vikings won in overtime for their seventh consecutive victory.
‘‘Hopefully my name can get in there a couple of years later,’’ Jefferson said, recounting the numerous conversations with relatives, friends, teammates, coaches and others he has had about the catch.
Jefferson couldn’t have created a better start for a Hall of Fame career. With 4,076 receiving yards in 42 games, he needs only 88 more to pass Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most in a player’s first three seasons. Moss had 4,163 receiving yards in 48 games.
Second on that list? Odell Beckham Jr. with 4,122. Guess who Jefferson talked with on the bus from the stadium to the airport last Sunday in Buffalo? Yes, he had Beckham on the other line, a pal of his through their LSU connection. They talked during the week before the game, too.
The only other player in the NFL last week with at least 10 receptions, 150 yards and a touchdown was the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb, whose production ultimately went for naught in a 31-28 overtime loss to the Packers. But the performance by Lamb, whose takeover this season for Amari Cooper as the Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver has been uneven amid another injury absence for quarterback Dak Prescott, was a promising one.
‘‘It was an excellent game based on numbers, but we both know there’s a little more out there for him,’’ Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. ‘‘And he’s made of the right stuff because he wants it.’’
Lamb, whose 2,743 receiving yards are second only to Jefferson among the stacked 2020 draft class, went to the Cowboys five picks before the Vikings selected Jefferson. Lamb stood out right away as a rookie, too, including a one-handed catch of his own for a touchdown that season that helped the Cowboys beat the Vikings.
With the Cowboys’ offense more sluggish than expected this season, there has been plenty of chatter about Beckham, who’s recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, joining them for a playoff run. ‘‘I’m a fan of Odell,’’ Lamb said. ‘‘Why wouldn’t you want to add more firepower to the offense?’’
The Cowboys might need that firepower, given that they have allowed at least 200 rushing yards in consecutive games. The only time they’ve done that more than twice in a row was in their expansion season of 1960, an 0-11-1 team that allowed four 200-plus games in successive weeks.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who has directed a remarkable turnaround for the group in 1½ seasons with the team, said he doesn’t remember such a two-game stretch in his coaching career.
The Cowboys, who are 29th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, must fix the seemingly alternating issues of losing containment outside and ceding wide running lanes inside.
‘‘One thing I do know: We have the right crew to do it,’’ Quinn said.