Justin Jefferson’s Statistics Climb

Justin Jefferson is just over half through his fifth NFL season. He’s jetting past the receiving numbers of the great receivers that came before him. In Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, he passed Torry Holt’s NFL record for most receiving yards through five seasons. 

1	Justin Jefferson	6811
2	Torry Holt	6784
3	Randy Moss	6743
4	Jerry Rice	6364
5	Julio Jones	6201

Jefferson passed Holt with seven games still to play in his fifth season. Jefferson reached 6811 yards in 70 games. It took Holt 80 games to reach his five-year total. If one was to factor in the 7+ games that Jefferson missed last year to a hamstring injury, Jefferson is nearly a full season ahead of the numbers put up by Torry Holt, Randy Moss, and Jerry Rice. 

Randy Moss has the NFL record for most yards through six seasons with 8375 yards. At his current pace of 97.3 yards/game, Jefferson should reach that total at about this point next season. 

Watching Justin Jefferson play football is a wonderful treat.

Jefferson is a big part of the incredible receiver tradition of the Minnesota Vikings. Cris Carter and Randy Moss are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One could argue that Ahmad Rashad and especially Anthony Carter should join them. Jefferson is on pace and hell-bent on earning first-ballot induction. Here’s where he ranks in the Vikings great receiver tradition for receiving yards. 

Rank	Player	Yards	Games
1	Cris Carter	12383	188
2	Randy Moss	9316	113
3	Anthony Carter	7636	133
4	Justin Jefferson	6811	70
5	Adam Thielen	6682	135
6	Jake Reed	6433	134
7	Sammy White	6400	128
8	Steve Jordan	6307	176
9	Ahmad Rashad	5489	98
10	Stefon Diggs	4623	70

Jefferson could pass Anthony Carter and move to #3 this season. 

It’s great to see Steve Jordan and his very underrated career earn a spot in the Top 10. He also has an argument for Canton inclusion that has yet to be had. 

Cris Carter and Randy Moss are two of the greatest receivers to ever step on a football field. I truly believed that no Vikings receiver could ever step into their orbit. Then, along came Justin Jefferson. Jerry Rice and his ridiculous career numbers are in danger of being reached. 

Minnesota Vikings Week 11 Superlatives

The Minnesota Vikings ground out a gritty ten-point win over the Tennessee Titans, 23-13. The offense put the ball in the end zone three times. That was an improvement over last week’s four field goal affair. The defense was terrific again. Here are some of the players that stood out in the Week 11 win. 

Offensive Players of the Game

Sam Darnold, QB

20 completions

32 attempts

246 yards

2 TDs

8 carries 

18 yards

1 TD

After last week’s three-interception outing, Sam Darnold needed an efficient game. Not only was he on target throughout the game, he had a few magician-like escapes of certain sacks. The victory margin and his stat line would’ve been more impressive if Jalen Nailor had held on for a 46-yard touchdown. The pass was a beauty and right on Nailor’s hands. It should’ve been a catch.

Justin Jefferson, WR

Justin Jefferson gets special mention as he again put his name in the NFL record book. His 81 receiving yards gives him 6,811 yards for his career. That’s the most receiving yards through five years in NFL history. He still has seven more games to play in his fifth season. 

Defensive Player of the Game

Patrick Jones II, OLB

As with most games this season, the defensive player of the game could go to nearly any number of players. This Vikings defense is very much a team defense. Patrick Jones II gets the nod in this game. 

His stats:

5 tackles 

2 sacks

3 tackles for loss

Several Vikings pass rushers spent most of the afternoon in the Titans backfield. They tallied five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Jones, as much as anyone, was rarely slowed by the Titans offensive line.

Special Teams Player of the Game

Ryan Wright, P

Ryan Wright stepped on the field for his first punt in the second half. That punt went for 66 yards. Due to a sputtering offense, he punted five times in the second half. Three of those pinned the Titans inside their 20-yard line. His second punt was inside the five-yard line and wonderfully downed by Trent Sherfield Sr. at the two-yard line. It was perfect team work and execution. 

Vikings - Titans

The Minnesota Vikings completed a season sweep of the AFC South. After earlier wins against the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars, the Vikings defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-13. While there were some nervous moments, the game never really felt that close. The Vikings benefited greatly from an incredibly undisciplined Titans team. 

The penalties.

Titans

13 accepted penalties

91 yards lost

Vikings

3 accepted penalties

35 yards lost

That’s a one-sided penalty ledger. Even more one-sided is that seven of those 13 penalties gave the Vikings a first down. One in particular was quite painful for the Titans. On fourth-and-goal from the one, Titans safety Mike Brown launched into the facemask of Vikings receiver Jordan Addison. This looked like a momentum-changing and score-altering play by the Titans. Instead, the personal foul gave the Vikings a new set of downs from inside the one. After Titans head coach Brian Callahan threw a tantrum and earned another personal foul penalty, the ball was inched even closer to the goal. Sam Darnold dove over for the score on the next play. The game’s commentators debated the initial personal foul but Brown did launch into the neck-facemask-head area of Addison. That’s a penalty. If the teams were reversed, Callahan would’ve been arguing for the penalty. 

The penalties were a significant factor in this game. It was a two-score game in part because of them. The Titans were horribly undisciplined in this game. That’s on Callahan. He should be looking in a mirror rather than railing on the officials. Offensive tackle Isaiah Prince was called for lining up off the line on three occasions. One of which took a Titans touchdown off the board. Three times! It’s a mental error on the player but it’s also horrible coaching. Vikings fans notoriously rail about being on the wrong side of the official’s calls. It feels a little odd to be on this side of them.

Enough with the penalties. 

After a week of settling for four field goals against the Jaguars, it was refreshing to see the Vikings offense get in the end zone. They did so on three occasions. Darnold threw a beauty to Addison for 47 yards to open the scoring. Darnold dove in for #2 and tossed a short and easy one to Cam Akers for #3. Darnold should’ve had a third touchdown throw. He threw another beauty from midfield. It should’ve been caught by Jalen Nailor in the end zone. Instead it went through his hands. This was an opportunity that shouldn’t have been missed. 

Replacement kicker John Parker Romo added a 40-yard field goal to go with his two of three extra points. 

The 23 points, and three touchdowns, was definitely an improvement over last week’s four field goal offensive performance. It was still a sputtering performance. The first Vikings punt didn’t come until the second half. They proceeded to punt four more times in the second half. They had seven possessions over the final 30 minutes. All but two went for only 3-5 plays. One of the two “productive” possessions was the final touchdown drive. The other was eight plays and a punt. That sputtering offense gave the Titans some hope that they really never should’ve had. 

The Vikings defense has been mostly terrific all season. Other than the stunning 98-yard touchdown throw from Will Levis to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, the Vikings defense dominated the Titans offense. That stunning play was an outlier and it skews the final statistics. Other than that single play, the Titans rarely threatened the Vikings end zone. That play. Vikings punter Ryan Wright put a wonderful punt inside the five-yard line and Trent Sherfield Sr. downed it at the two-yard line. First play, the Vikings nearly tackled Tony Pollard in the end zone. Second play, Will Levis dove back to the two-yard line. Third play, the Vikings loaded up on a blitz. Stephon Gilmore left Westbrook-Ikhine for the safety. Joshua Metellus’ angle was a little off and the Titans had a stunning 98-yard score. That lone play gave the Titans hope in an otherwise one-sided game. With that play, they have hope and momentum in a 16-10 game. 

Fortunately, the Vikings lone productive possession of the second half followed that stunning play. A nice 35-yard kick return by Ty Chandler gave the offense decent starting position. Darnold guided the offense the remaining 65 yards. The short 3-yard catch and run by Akers put the much-needed touchdown on the board and bumped the Vikings lead to 23-10 with about three minutes left in the third quarter. The pesky Titans could only add a field goal over the final 18 minutes. 

A win is a win. The Vikings are now 8-2 on the season. They visit the Chicago Bears next week. The offense must play better as the Vikings enter the final stretch of the season. There are too many empty possessions. Against better teams, that can’t happen. The defense just has to keep doing what they’ve been doing. I feel like they’ll get even better with better offensive efficiency leading to hopefully bigger leads. 8-2 is a very good place to be. 

Flea Flicker Week 11 Predictions

It’s already Week 11. Here are some guesses at the games. 

Byes: New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers 

Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans

Pick: Vikings

After relying on four field goals against the Jaguars, the Vikings must get their offense untracked. 

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

Pick: Bears

Despite what many continue to say, this is the league’s third oldest rivalry. It’s the most contested rivalry but it is not the oldest. Bears-Cardinals and Packers-Cardinals are older. 

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions

Pick: Lions

I wish that I could pick the Jaguars.

Las Vegas Raiders @ Miami Dolphins

Pick: Dolphins

With Tua Tagavailoa knocking off the rust, the Dolphins are getting back to their explosive ways. 

Los Angeles Rams @ New England Patriots

Pick: Rams

Rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl LIII. Unlike those bigger games, the Rams take this one.

Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans Saints

Pick: Saints

This one required a coin flip.

Indianapolis Colts @ New York Jets

Pick: Colts

The Jets are a mess.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Pick: Ravens

The Ravens knock down the soaring Steelers.

Atlanta Falcons @ Denver Broncos

Pick: Falcons

Kirk Cousins makes Sean Payton sad. Again.

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers

Pick: 49ers

The 49ers continue their quest to get back on track.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills

Pick: Bills

The Bills hand the Chiefs their first loss.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Los Angeles Chargers

Pick: Bengals

This should be a real fun QB duel. 

Houston Texans @ Dallas Cowboys

Pick: Texans

The Texans get right against the Cowboys. 

Tennessee Titans All - Time Team

The Minnesota Vikings travel this weekend to Tennessee to play the Titans tomorrow. In another iteration, the Tennessee Titans were the Houston Oilers and an original member of the American Football in 1960. The Oilers were an immediate hit as they won the rival league’s first two championships. After nearly a decade of competing for players and fans, the Oilers and the rest of the AFL’s teams agreed to a truce in 1966 and fully merged with the NFL in 1970. The Oilers fielded wildly entertaining teams in the late 1970s and early 1990s. Led by the remarkable running of Earl Campbell and a strong defense, the 1970s Oilers had the great misfortune of playing in the same division as the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 1978 and 1979 seasons were ended by those Steelers in the AFC Championship game. The 1990s Oilers were a high-flying, high-scoring offensive juggernaut led by Warren Moon. Unfortunately, those entertaining teams were repeatedly confounded in the playoffs. The wild popularity of those fun teams made the departure in 1997 for Nashville heartbreaking. The team played as the Tennessee Oilers in 1997 and 1998 and became the Titans in 1999. The Tennessee Titans have had spotty success. The highlight of their time is easily the 1999 season that ended in Super Bowl XXXIV. Led by Steve McNair, the Titans were a yard short of either tying the St. Louis Rams and forcing overtime or winning in regulation. Instead, they lost the big game 23-16. Over their 27 years in Tennessee, the Oilers/Titans have made the playoffs ten times and won their division five times. On the eve of the big game, here is a look at some of the best players in the occasionally fun history of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oiler/Tennessee Titans. 

Offense

Quarterback

Warren Moon

Running Backs

Earl Campbell

Derrick Henry

Wide Receivers

Charley Hennigan

Kenny Burrough

Tight End

Frank Wycheck

Offensive Tackles

Brad Hopkins

Michael Roos

Offensive Guards

Bruce Matthews

Mike Munchak

                               

Center

Carl Mauck

Defense

Defensive Ends

Elvin Bethea

William Fuller

Defensive Tackles

Ray Childress

Curley Culp

Linebackers

Robert Brazile

Gregg Bingham

George Webster

Cornerbacks

Chris Dishman

Samari Rolle

Safeties

Ken Houston

Blaine Bishop

Special Teams

Kicker 

George Blanda

Punter

Brett Kern

Returner

Billy “White Shoes” Johnson

Minnesota Vikings 53-Man Roster

Fortunately, injuries haven’t forced the Minnesota Vikings to tweak their roster this week. Knock on wood. Here’s hoping that continues through the season and playoffs. Losing a kicker AND long snapper in one game was unusual and ridiculous. How often does a kicker get placed on injured reserve? Across the NFL, it’s happened twice in the last week. Unfortunately, one of those is the Vikings. Get well soon, Will Reichard. The Vikings also lost their long snapper for a few weeks. Andrew DePaola injured his hand against the Indianapolis Colts. That injury required a surgical procedure. As a result, he was placed on injured reserve. Currently, the Vikings have no long snapper on the active roster. Veteran Jake McQuaide was signed to the practice squad. As long as DePaola is out, McQuaide will apparently live a gameday yo-yo existence between the practice squad and active roster. Other than a rather unusual special teams situation, this week’s roster looks just like last week’s. That’s a good thing. Hopefully, the only roster changes moving forward are injured players being activated. In advance of their Week 11 game against the Tennessee Titans, here’s the Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster. 

Minnesota Vikings 53 - Man Roster

Offense (25)

Quarterbacks (3)

14 Sam Darnold

12 Nick Mullens

19 Brett Rypien

Running Backs (3)

33 Aaron Jones

32 Ty Chandler

27 Cam Akers

Fullback (1)

30 C.J. Ham

Receivers (5)

18 Justin Jefferson

  3 Jordan Addison

83 Jalen Nailor

  4 Brandon Powell

11 Trent Sherfield

Tight Ends (3)

87 T.J. Hockenson

84 Josh Oliver

86 Johnny Mundt

Offensive Linemen (10)

74 Cam Robinson

64 Blake Brandel

56 Garrett Bradbury

67 Ed Ingram

75 Brian O’Neill

76 David Quessenberry 

78 Walter Rouse

66 Dalton Risner

65 Michael Jurgens

69 Dan Feeney

Defense (26)

Defensive Linemen (5)

97 Harrison Phillips

90 Jonathan Bullard

99 Jerry Tillery

61 Jalen Redmond

50 Levi Drake Rodriguez

Outside Linebackers (6)

58 Jonathan Greenard

43 Andrew Van Ginkel

15 Dallas Turner

91 Patrick Jones II

52 Jihad Ward

98 Bo Richter

Inside Linebackers (4)

  0 Ivan Pace Jr.

51 Blake Cashman

  6 Brian Asamoah

54 Kamu Grugier-Hill

Cornerbacks (6)

  2 Stephon Gilmore  

  7 Byron Murphy Jr.

  1 Shaq Griffin

21 Akayleb Evans

23 Fabian Moreau

29 Dwight McGlothern

Safeties (5)

22 Harrison Smith

24 Camryn Bynum

44 Josh Metellus

26 Theo Jackson

20 Jay Ward

Special Teams (2)

Kickers (1)

96 John Parker Romo

Punter (1)

17 Ryan Wright

Long Snapper (0)

Practice Squad

47 Jake McQuaide, LS

37 Myles Gaskin, RB

36 Zavier Scott, RB

25 Nahshon Wright, CB

28 Bobby McCain, S

55 Andre Carter II, OLB

68 Henry Byrd, G

  8 Trishton Jackson, WR

81 Lucky Jackson, WR

82 Jeshaun Jones, WR

89 Thayer Thomas, WR

72 Julian Pearl, T

48 Calvin Munson, LB

85 Robert Tonyan, TE

45 Max Tooley, LB

95 Travis Bell, DL

35 Sammis Reyes, TE

Injured Reserve

  5 Mekhi Blackmon, CB

  9 J.J. McCarthy, QB

71 Christian Darrisaw, T

36 NaJee Thompson, CB

63 Jeremy Flax, OL

45 Jordan Kunaszyk, LB

34 Nick Muse, TE

16 Will Reichard, K

42 Andrew DePaola, LS

94 Taki Taimani, DL 

Injured Reserve/Designated To Return

59 Gabriel Murphy, OLB

Throwback Thursday: All-Time HBCU NFL Team

 This Flicker was originally posted on 7/5/18. 

The NFL's history is filled with players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The talent that's come out of these schools rivals, even exceeds, that of the "big time" conferences. Some of the best of that talent can be seen in this All-Time NFL Team of players from HBCUs.

Quarterback

Steve McNair, Alcorn State

Running Backs

Walter Payton, Jackson State
Leroy Kelly, Morgan State

Receivers

Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State
John Stallworth, Alabama A&M

Tight End

Shannon Sharpe, Savannah State

Offensive Line

Roosevelt Brown, Morgan State
Art Shell, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Jackie Slater, Jackson State
Rayfield Wright, Fort Valley State
Larry Little, Bethune-Cookman

Defensive Line

Deacon Jones, South Carolina State/Mississippi Valley State
Willie Davis, Grambling State
Buck Buchanan, Grambling
Michael Strahan, Texas Southern

Linebackers

Robert Brazile, Jackson State
Willie Lanier, Morgan State
Harry Carson, South Carolina State

Defensive Backs

Willie Brown, Grambling State
Mel Blount, Southern

Ken Houston, Prairie View A&M

Donnie Shell

***

The talent on this team is ridiculous.

22 players. 21 are honored in Canton.

The one player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the quarterback. Steve McNair.

Black colleges have sent an abundance of talent to the NFL at all positions but quarterback. That has more to do with the league's coaches and owners being so unwilling for so long to give a black quarterback a shot. Many think that Warren Moon was the first great black quarterback. Even he was forced to start his throwing career in Canada due to the racial prejudices of the league’s white decision-makers. Doug Williams and James Harris had some fine moments. Maybe they would've had more if their path was less rocky. Maybe Parnell Dickinson could've been the first great black quarterback if he'd been given a chance. Joe Gilliam? Eldridge Dickey? Charles Brackins? Willie Thrower? None had the opportunities routinely and repeatedly given to modestly talented white quarterbacks.

HBCUs have sent much more football talent than the above All-Time Team to the NFL. Here are some of the players that I had to reluctantly leave on the bench.

Lem Barney
Elvin Bethea
Richard Dent
Bob Hayes
Charlie Joiner
Emmitt Thomas

Aeneas Williams

Ken Riley

That's eight Pro Football Hall of Famers sitting on the bench. The talent doesn't end there. Here are a few players that have a strong case for Canton induction.

Roger Brown
L.C. Greenwood
Otis Taylor
Everson Walls

Just silly with talent. The talent was at these "small" schools because it wasn't welcome at the "big" schools. The smart NFL teams sent scouts to these schools in the 1960s and early 1970s. The 1960s Kansas City Chiefs benefited greatly. So did the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers. It's really no surprise that the rise in the scouting of the HBCUs coincided with the escalating AFL-NFL wars. There were more professional teams and it resulted in a hotly contested race for talent. The AFL had the edge at these long-neglected schools and it helped catch the NFL and force a merger in only seven years. Despite being loaded with talented players and greatly impacting the NFL the Historically Black Colleges and Universities have long been over there on the periphery of college and professional football. It's well past time to celebrate these schools and the players that played there. The Black College Football Hall of Fame has been inducting players since 2010. It's a grassroots effort that's slowly gaining traction and now they're getting support from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They deserve more support and attention. Just look at the players. Silly with talent.