Vikings mailbag: What happened to the deep throws to Justin Jefferson?

As part of our expanded Vikings playoff coverage this week, we will answer daily reader questions. You can email your questions to ben.goessling@startribune.com, or send them to @BenGoessling on Twitter.

Q: Will KOC dial up some deep shots for Jefferson? Seems like the offense needs to stretch the field a bit, and JJ is the obvious choice. (side note: Hock and Irv underneath could be nasty) —@SkolRocco

Thanks for the question, Rocco. You're right the offense has struggled to stretch the field at times this season, and I'd attribute some of it to what Kevin O'Connell called "the JJ effect" in a conversation we had after his news conference on Monday. Teams are so preoccupied with not letting Justin Jefferson beat them that they're keeping two safeties deep in coverage on almost every play to take away deep shots. Before several games this year, O'Connell told me, the Vikings have scouted opponents that play single-safety coverage 60-70% of the time, only to see them shift to a two-safety look on 90% of their plays. It's become a popular approach around the NFL as Vic Fangio-influenced defensive schemes have become more widespread; one of the reasons O'Connell wanted the Vikings defense to use that scheme is because he found it so difficult to beat as an offensive coordinator. So this isn't exclusive to the Vikings, though Jefferson's influence does play into it.

The Vikings' next-best option as a deep threat this season has actually been K.J. Osborn; I wrote on Monday about how effective he's become as a downfield option, and he could play a key role against the Giants on Sunday. But you mention T.J. Hockenson and Irv Smith Jr., and I think you're onto something there: Hockenson caught 13 passes for 109 yards against the Giants last time, and if he and Smith are paired together in two-tight end looks, it could force the Giants to keep an extra linebacker on the field and allow O'Connell to create a mismatch for Jefferson, as he did several times in Green Bay. The Vikings didn't hit on those plays against the Packers, and they'll have to protect Kirk Cousins against the Giants' blitzes this weekend. But especially if they can use their personnel to steal a few advantageous looks, it might be the key to a game-changing play.