Justin Jefferson making big plays for the Vikings again, but rally falls short

Thousands of Vikings fans (and maybe even some Lions fans) at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday thought receiver Justin Jefferson was going to will his team to victory again.

Linebacker Jordan Hicks was transported back to last year's thrilling victory over the Bills, when Jefferson's one-handed "catch of the year" on fourth down took the NFL by storm.

This time, Jefferson skyed above two Lions defenders to secure an improbable 28-yard grab to convert a third-and-27, setting the Vikings up for a possible go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. But three plays later, quarterback Nick Mullens threw his fourth interception of the afternoon.

"That guy's crazy," Hicks said of Jefferson, who set up the third-and-27 by recovering a Mullens fumble on the previous play. "Takes you back to Buffalo seeing that. He's obviously the best receiver in football, there's no doubt."

Jefferson was a big-play machine against the Lions, finishing with six catches for 141 receiving yards and a diving touchdown late in the first half. He also set another NFL record, passing the Saints' Michael Thomas (5,512) for most receiving yards in a player's first four seasons. Jefferson now has 5,648 yards with two games left.

It was Jefferson's first 100-yard game since Sept. 24 against the Chargers. Two weeks later, he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for seven games.

But he wasn't comparing Sunday's final catch to his legendary one in Buffalo.

"Similar, but nothing like that," Jefferson said. "I mean, I'm just trying to make a play for my team. Before that play, I told Nick, 'It don't matter what it is, just throw it up.' And I have that same attitude on every single ball that's in the air."

"I know that I'm a momentum shifter on this team," he added.

After Jefferson's first grab for eight yards, each of his next five catches exceeded 20 yards. Head coach Kevin O'Connell said the Lions were playing a heavier defense, against which the Vikings tried to take shots downfield. O'Connell said they also moved Jefferson around more to get him away from the Lions' attention.

"We were doing some unique things with some motions, trying to stress their coverages knowing there was a huge [Lions] plan for him out there," O'Connell said.

"He's going to leave it all out on the field, that's what I love about him," the coach added. "Most of those completions were against double teams and possibly a third [defender]."

Jefferson held onto a 28-yard catch in the fourth quarter despite an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit from Lions safety Kerby Joseph, who was pulled from the game and evaluated for a concussion. Jefferson bounced back up while Joseph fell to the turf.

"I feel good," Jefferson said. "Nothing crazy like I haven't [felt] before."

Jefferson gave a nod to Kirk Cousins, who attended Sunday's game for the first time since suffering a torn Achilles on Oct. 29, when asked about the Vikings' instability at quarterback.

"Goes to show the rest of the world the type of player Kirk is," Jefferson said. "At the end of the day, this is a tough league. Not everybody is meant for this job. So, it's tough not having 8 out there; the captain that he is, the leader that he is. He's a great player."

"Nothing taking away from Nick," he added. "Nick is an outstanding player as well. We just need to build on that confidence we have. We just have to go on that practice field and make sure we're getting all the timing right, making sure the ball is where it needs to be."