WR Jarius Wright breaks out in career game

By Master Tesfatsion

September 29, 2014 at 2:36AM
Minnesota Vikings Jarius Wright (17) was chased down by Robert Alford (23) during a 52-yard catch and run in the first quarter.
Minnesota Vikings Jarius Wright (17) was chased down by Robert Alford (23) during a 52-yard catch and run in the first quarter. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

As wide receiver Jarius Wright spoke to horde of reporters after the Vikings 41-28 win over the Falcons on Sunday, offensive coordinator Norv Turner swung by, tapped him on the shoulder and walked off.

Turner sits in the coaches box during games and wasn't able to congratulate Wright on his performance immediately after the game, but the nudge from Turner during the media scrum brought a smile to Wright's face after a career performance.

Wright had career highs in catches (8) and yards (132), outgaining not only his teammates Cordarrelle Patterson and Greg Jennings, but Falcons wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White. It's Wright's first career game with 100 receiving yards and the only receiver to eclipse the century mark.

"I thought about that myself; I was like, 'You know it took me three years to get this game," Wright said. "It came for me, and I'm just going to keep building on it."

Wright said it wasn't part of the game plan for him to receive 10 targets, but Turner made an adjustment during the first play of the drive to get him more touches. Wright had three catches for 59 yards on the first offensive series. He's built a rapport with rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who made his first career start. The two served as backups and have received an ample amount of reps together.

"I think it definitely translated out there today," Wright said. "Teddy knew where to put the ball. In a couple throws, Teddy knew exactly where to put the ball to me, and he knew exactly where I was going to be. I kind of knew where to expect the ball. Our reps together definitely paid off for us. A lot of trust.

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Master Tesfatsion