Vikings WR Jefferson misses NFL record but hits 'my main goal'

play

This season, Jefferson made his mark on the NFL record books. He was hoping for a better record.

The Vikings receiver is the youngest player in the league in catches and receiving yards. Jefferson is 136 days younger than Don Hutson was when he was the leader in both categories.

In the Vikings' 29-13 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Jefferson caught four passes for 38 yards, setting his league-high totals for the season of 128 catches for 1,808 yards. It was the sixth-most receiving yards for a season in NFL history, and was perhaps the most critical factor in the Vikings' 13 victories, but it fell short of Calvin Johnson's record of 1,962 yards.

Jefferson felt like he reached his main goal. Last year I came off 1,600. I wanted to get to 2,000. It's a chance for next year to try something. As long as we're in the playoffs, it doesn't matter. I think I did a lot for the team this season, doing whatever I had to do when the ball was in the air. There's more to fight for than this record.

Jefferson broke the team record for catches and receiving yards in a season by Week 16 thanks to a late surge. The Packers limited Jefferson to one catch for 15 yards in a loss at Lambeau Field.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell pulled Jefferson and most other players from the game at halftime because the Vikings had already secured their place in the playoffs.

It was going to be a longshot for Jefferson to get it. You don't know what will happen. I knew I wouldn't play in the second half because I had a limited amount of chances.

Cooper Kupp made his own challenge to Johnson's record when O'Connell was the Los Angeles Rams offensive assistant. After the Vikings' season ended, O'Connell challenged Jefferson to fill that role in the Vikings' version of the Rams' scheme.

KirkCousins targeted Jefferson on 181 passes, tying for the 11th most for a single season since 2000. He didn't suffer any injuries and only dropped one pass.

He marveled at how Jefferson improved each season. He made a run at Johnson's record this season, after accumulating 1,616 receiving yards in the previous two years.

He is in the third year of his studies. It's hard to do it again. I will always tell him that. Run it back and do it again. You begin to put yourself in rare air if you are able to. Three years in, he's done it better than before.

"Eventually he will run up against a ceiling, probably, but I'm excited to see what he can do moving forward and then in playoff football, when the lights get even brighter." He is excited for the big games in his career. We have him, and I get to throw the football to him, so I'm so grateful.