The Vikings sent a message to the NFL on Sunday by destroying the Bengals 48-10. At the same time, Justin Jefferson and Isaiah Rodgers were sending their own messages.
Jefferson, already well established as one of the best receivers in the league, didn’t light up the box score. He only had five catches for 75 yards. But he did break tackles with powerful after-catch running, while also buckling in for physical blocks to help Jordan Mason run for 116 yards and two scores.
“When people look at me they don’t really expect me to be as physical as I am. But that’s the type of game that I like playing,” Jefferson said after Minnesota’s dominant game. “That physicality, showing people that I might look this way but I’m way bigger than what I look. It’s just about setting that tone, setting that momentum. I like to make the most of every opportunity that I get. Every yard matters.”
Jefferson has 12 catches for 200 yards and one touchdown in three games. It’s not the pace fans are used to seeing Jefferson catch the ball, but that’s largely due to Minnesota sporting a banged-up offensive line, no Jordan Addison (suspension) and two different quarterbacks through three weeks — one who is 22 years old (J.J. McCarthy) and the other (Carson Wentz) who signed with the Vikings less than a month ago.
But if the effort over the Bengals was a sign of things to come, Jefferson and the Vikings might be on the verge of an offensive explosion.
As for Rodgers, he set the world on fire Sunday with an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown and two forced fumbles, including one that he punched out of tight end Noah Fant’s hands and scooped it up for a 66-yard touchdown.
“I’ve been saying it all week. I got messages to prove. I’ve just been saying I want to play better. I just want to showcase who Isaiah Rodgers is and who Isaiah Rodgers can be,” Rodgers said after the game.
Cincinnati certainly got the message, but that’s exactly what Rodgers says he came to Minnesota to do in Brian Flores’ defense.
“I told [Flores] that’s why I came here. I want to be part of the defense and create turnovers. That’s why they brought me here. He knew why I came and we displayed it this week,” Rodgers said.
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