Being Robin to Justin Jefferson’s Batman has its perks for the Vikings’ other receivers

Jordan Addison is a quiet person who plays loudly. A man small in stature who shows up big in key moments. A superhero talent who isn’t upset in the least that the Vikings have cast him, a first-round draft pick, as one of their Robins to Justin Jefferson’s Batman.

“‘Jets’ makes the game a lot easier for me,” the 22-year-old Addison said of the 25-year-old Jefferson.

Tight end T.J. Hockenson essentially said the same thing. Ditto for running back Aaron Jones, receiver Jalen Nailor and quarterback Sam Darnold.

Jefferson’s double- and triple-covered pain has become everyone else’s single- or simply uncovered gain. Last Sunday, as the Bears’ total fixation on Jefferson limited the All-Pro to two catches for 27 yards — including a career-low 7 yards in regulation — the Vikings had a season-high 452 yards while becoming the first Purple squad since the 2000 team of Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Robert Smith to post a 300-yard passer, two 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher.

“I tell Justin all the time how he helps the team without making a single catch,” Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell said. “Teams know what they’re dealing with. A game-wrecker. And they’re saying, ‘Let’s see if someone else can be the game-wrecker.’”

Makes sense, said Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

“I’d probably put two guys on Justin, too,” he said, “and just go down some other way.”

Future opponents — starting with the Cardinals on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium — might need to begin tweaking that approach after the Vikings provided emphatic video evidence that their Robins can pummel a defense while their Batman is statistically handcuffed and thrown in the trunk. Against the Bears …

• Darnold threw for a season-high 330 yards, didn’t force anything for the second consecutive week and didn’t turn the ball over. Later, he said that while he loves Jefferson’s infectious desire to make plays, “I’m going to continue to go through my reads and my progressions and put the ball in the hands of my guys and let them go to work.”

• Hockenson had a season-high 114 yards in his fourth game back from ACL surgery.

• Jones had a season-high 106 yards rushing and a touchdown on 22 carries.

• Nailor caught his fifth touchdown of the season, matching Jefferson’s team high. “Think about this,” McCardell said. “Jalen has five touchdowns [on 17 catches]. He’s our third receiver. Or fourth option behind T.J. Or, let’s be honest, our fifth option behind Aaron Jones. That speaks volumes about the people we have on the field and [coach] Kevin [O’Connell] calling plays.”

• Addison posted a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. Catches of 45 and 69 yards gave him seven of 40-plus yards since 2023, second-most in the league behind Jayden Reed’s eight with the Packers.

“I’ve been single-covered every time Jets has been on the field the last two years,” Addison said.

Asked to remember the last time he was single covered like this before joining the Vikings, he said his freshman year at Pitt in 2020.

Vikings edge rusher Pat Jones II was a teammate of Addison’s that fall.

“That’s probably the last time Jordan wasn’t a No. 1 receiver,” Jones said. “At least he started out that way. True freshman. Quiet guy. Didn’t say much. Like now. But putting numbers on him — 1, 2 — didn’t matter because he would just go out and do what he do.”

Addison led Pitt in catches with 60 that year. Then he led college football in receiving yards (1,593) and receiving touchdowns (17) as the Biletnikoff Award winner as a sophomore. Then he played a year with Caleb Williams at Southern California, leading the team in receiving yards (875) and receiving touchdowns (eight).

Then O’Connell drooled at the prospect of pairing this guy with Jefferson. The prayer was answered with the 23rd overall pick in 2023.

Addison’s eight catches Sunday produced a red-zone touchdown and five first downs, three of them on third down and one of those in the red zone. Coverage schemes designed to focus on Jefferson had a direct impact on six of those catches, including the 45- and 69-yarders, a 7-yard catch on third-and-5 at the Chicago 10, a touchdown on first-and-goal from the 2, and a 12-yard catch on third-and-10 on the game-winning drive in overtime.

“Justin impacts all our catches,” Addison said. “All of them.”

Nailor agrees. His 5-yard touchdown was set up first by Jefferson’s 35-yard pass interference penalty and then by what essentially was a triple team on Jefferson in the end zone that left Nailor as a wide-open checkdown option at the 5.

“I was [cornerback] Jaylon Johnson’s responsibility, but he’s thinking Sam is going to Justin on the corner route so he’s trying to play both of us, thinking he can bait Sam into making that throw and jumping it,” Nailor said. “Sam read it perfectly and made my touchdown happen. But it doesn’t happen without Justin being Justin.”

Aaron Jones knows that feeling. The former Packer and first-year Viking was lined up as a receiver alongside Jefferson to the right of the formation on a key third-and-13 situation late in regulation. Backup Nick Mullens was at quarterback as Darnold missed two plays because of a foot injury.

The ball was snapped and Bears linebacker T.J Edwards, the guy responsible for Jones, doubled Jefferson instead.

“We worked on that play on Thursday,” Jones said. “[O’Connell] said if all the attention goes to Justin, you’re going to be wide open coming across the middle. … I went to the sideline after that play and said, ‘K.O., great call. I’ve never caught a ball with that much [open] space.’”

Nailor said it’s “a blessing for the guys who play with Jets.” McCardell said those guys are returning the favor. Just wait and watch.

McCardell knows from his experiences as a guy who spent 16 NFL seasons catching 883 balls for 11,373 yards and 63 touchdowns. For six seasons from 1996 to 2001, he and Jimmy Smith took turns going off for the Jaguars. In three of those seasons, each had at least 1,100 yards and 85 catches.

“Me and Jimmy, we understood that we worked with each other and we worked for each other,” McCardell said. “One has a good day, the next is going to have one the next week. Things will open up for Justin.”

By all accounts inside the Vikings, Jefferson is handling his statistical lull of three straight sub-100-yard games professionally. He wants to do more, obviously, but sees the bigger picture: a four-game winning streak and a 9-2 record that’s tied for second-best in the NFC.

“He has a good attitude that’s going to last because he understands who he is and the attention he draws,” McCardell said. “This is why he got the big contract. That’s why he’s the best guy in this league. He’s also very humble.

“And, at some point in your career, you start to understand that there’s a bigger picture out there than numbers. The bigger picture is the Lombardi Trophy. He’s at that point.”

Although feeding the “Robins” statistically resulted in victory last week, O’Connell is NFL new school, a players’ coach who knows how important it also is to turn Batman’s frown upside down.

The coach said he “loves the way Justin handles himself” as a leader and a captain; how “when you turn on the tape, who’s the most excited about [Nailor’s] touchdown? Justin.”

But …

“It’s also my job to find ways to create as many footballs as I possibly can to get everybody touches,” O’Connell added. “It’s easier said than done sometimes. But I definitely want to make sure he always feels like he’s a major priority because anytime he steps on the field, I think he’s the best player on the field.”

Jefferson was asked this week if he was “happy for Jordan.”

“I’m always happy to have Jordan, Speedy [Nailor], anybody … in this offense to have a great game,” Jefferson said. “I would never be mad that someone else had a good game. Never.”

Addison said he will feel the same way Sunday if Jefferson goes for 162 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals.

“To me, it’s just playing ball,” Addison said. “It’s not strange being No. 2 or whatever. I know who I’m playing next to. I know the situation I was coming into.

“My mentality is, ‘Get open for the quarterback and catch every opportunity that comes my way.’ When the ball’s in the air, it’s confidence and who wants it more. You or the defense. I want it more.”

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