How the Vikings could get Justin Jefferson to put up Cooper Kupp numbers

Kevin O'Connell will inherit another elite receiving weapon in Minnesota

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By Sam Ekstrom

Cooper Kupp just backed up one of the best receiving seasons of all time with one of the clutchest Super Bowl performances of all time. With Odell Beckham Jr. watching from the sideline and the Bengals defense surely knowing that Kupp would be getting the ball on the Rams’ final drive, Kupp made four catches, drew three penalties, rushed for a first down and caught the game-winning touchdown to propel the Rams to a Super Bowl win.

The Rams ended the season how they operated throughout: Unabashedly feeding Kupp despite immense attention being paid his way. Every opposing coach had to answer questions in press conferences about his presence, yet only one team (Arizona, twice) held him to fewer than 90 yards all season. Kupp threatened 2,000 yards thanks to a league-high 189 targets, 23 more than the next closest players and 26 more than the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson.

The offensive coordinator with a front row seat to watch Kupp’s historic season will be inheriting Jefferson and the Vikings offense in 2022, so it’s natural to wonder what Kevin O’Connell could do to ratchet up Jefferson’s production to Cooper Kupp levels.

First, a quick comparison.

It’s not as if the Rams just threw the ball more than any other team and Kupp was the beneficiary. Far from it. The Rams were just 10th in passing attempts, tossing only three more passes than the Vikings all season. (It helps that they could sit on some late leads unlike Minnesota.)

So out of a similar sample of passing attempts, Jefferson finished 331 yards behind Kupp and caught 37 fewer balls in the same number of games. On a per play basis, Kupp had advantages in yards per route run (3.12 to 2.59) and YAC per reception (5.9 to 4.6). While Jefferson’s insane athleticism makes him tough to bring down, Kupp was quite a bit more elusive with 24 missed tackles forced against Jefferson’s nine, helping his yards after catch.

Kupp feasted on short and intermediate routes, while Jefferson had the edge in downfield receiving. Jefferson tied for the league lead in deep targets with 39; Kupp tied for 17th with 23. As a result, Jefferson’s average depth of target was almost five yards more than Kupp’s, and his yards per reception was 1.4 yards better.