Vikings' second half against the Chargers is what Mike Zimmer wants it to look like

Vikings' head coach talked at length about the importance of pushing the ball to Justin Jefferson in 27-20 win over the Chargers

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By Matthew Coller

LOS ANGELES — Mike Zimmer wants you to know that he also thinks Justin Jefferson is really good at football and he would like his quarterback to throw the ball in his direction.

Following the Minnesota Vikings’ 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, Zimmer spent the vast majority of his press conference discussing the nine-catch, 143-yard performance by Jefferson and how he’d been pushing for quarterback Kirk Cousins to get Jefferson more targets.

“I did talk to Justin this week, and I told him we were going to get him the ball,” Zimmer said. “I told him, ‘You have to do something for me, and that’s come out here and practice real hard and do the things you’re supposed to do, and study and be precise in your routes, and we’re gonna get you the ball.’ ”

The Vikings’ superstar receiver only caught five passes in the last two games, both losses in which the passing game totaled under 200 yards.

Zimmer acknowledged that Jefferson had not been thrilled with his shortage of opportunities to make game-changing plays prior to Sunday’s outburst.

“I know that he was very frustrated,” Zimmer said. “So, I meet with Cousins every week and kind of tell him what we need to try to do.”

Jefferson, who you might be able to work into a “revenge game” narrative if you remember him losing out Rookie of the Year to Justin Herbert last year, admitted that he appreciated being the focus of the gameplan this week.

“I feel like any receiver would be a little frustrated, just wanting to be a big part of the offense,” Jefferson said. “Wanting to make big plays. I really didn’t get that many opportunities last games. This game stressed giving me the ball, giving me the opportunity to go up and make a play. And definitely grateful for that and making those plays.”

The most notable of times that Cousins gave Jefferson opportunities came on third-and-6 when the Vikings’ quarterback launched the ball into a contested-catch situation down the sideline and Jefferson contorted his body to grab the pass despite tight coverage. The Chargers may have been so perplexed at the catch that they challenged it.

The high-difficulty reception gave the Vikings a first down that ran the clock down to the point where they only needed one more first down to end the game without Justin Herbert having any chance to repeat the magic of his predecessors in weeks earlier against the Vikings.

“When it got in the fourth quarter, I knew we’d been there before a few times, so I was just trying to figure out a way how we’re gonna win the game,” Zimmer said. “I told Klint, ‘Be aggressive here. Try to go score.’”

The word of the day continued to be “aggressive” in Zimmer’s post-game comments as he went into more detail about his message for Cousins. While the Vikings’ QB hasn’t turned the ball over very often this season, he’s been one of the least aggressive quarterbacks in the league, ranking toward the bottom of the NFL in average depth of target. Zimmer said he doesn’t want Cousins to be afraid of interceptions when he’s giving his top receivers a 50-50 ball.

“I do think that sometimes he needs to be aggressive with the football, and I thought he was today, especially in the second half,” Zimmer said. “He’s gotta trust everybody, and if he has to hum a couple in there and they get tipped or something, so be it. That’s why we’re a team.” 

“I think just the reinforcement of some of those kinds of those things,” the Vikings’ head coach added. “Second-and-18 or whatever it is, he’s gotta – we’ve gotta get the ball down the field. We can’t throw five-yard throws.”

While the Vikings won because of aggressiveness — including key Zimmer decisions to go for fourth downs in the red zone and on the final drive — they weren’t playing Al Davis football for the entire game. In the first half, they scored just six points on their first four drives and went three-and-out when given the chance to lead a final drive in the first half.

“I think he had some shots early in the game that he didn’t take, but I think he settled down, and in the second half he was able to [take shots],” Zimmer said.

Cousins was less ready to celebrate his newfound risk-taking, saying that he threw to Jefferson largely when the coverage allowed for one-on-ones.

“Most of the times I worked him, he was not doubled, most of the times I didn’t work him, he was,” Cousins said. “So I guess they didn’t double him just enough to give us the opportunities to give him the ball. They were pretty intentional about putting a safety over the top of where he was lining up and we had to get creative with the routes he would run, how we could still get him the football.”

The Vikings’ offense wasn’t all Justin Jefferson. Adam Thielen came up with an 18-yard reception that set up the fourth-and-2 conversation that ended the game. Dalvin Cook carried the ball more consistently than he did against Baltimore, gaining 94 yards and adding 24 receiving yards.