Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson made the most of a game with little on the line between Minnesota and the Detroit Lions by etching his name in NFL history twice on Sunday afternoon.
Entering Week 17 with 1,267 receiving yards, Jefferson needed 111 yards in the Vikings’ season finale to set a new Super Bowl-era (since 1966) rookie record. He broke the mark established by Arizona’s Anquan Boldin (1,377) in 2003 upon catching a 37-yard pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter. The first-rounder is now second all time behind Houston’s Bill Groman, who holds the rookie record of 1,473 receiving yards set in 1960.
Before that, Jefferson set a franchise rookie record for receiving yards. Wearing custom cleats that paid homage to Hall of Famer Randy Moss, Jefferson caught a 15-yard pass in the third quarter to break the Vikings’ rookie receiving record (1,313) set by Moss in 1998.
Last month, Jefferson surpassed Moss’ single-season mark of 69 catches in his rookie season. Sunday marked the former LSU star’s seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season.
