Justin Jefferson found the end zone Sunday at Ford Field, but that was about where the good news stopped for the Minnesota Vikings superstar. He finished with five catches on nine targets for 33 yards as Minnesota suffered a 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions, its first loss of the season. Then, he chose not to speak with reporters in the locker room, raising a few eyebrows.
Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby decided to weigh in after the Vikings fell to 6-1, pointing to Minnesota's offense rather than the receiver himself.
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Maxx Crosby Gets Blunt on Justin Jefferson's Low in Vikings' Offense
Crosby initially addressed DK Metcalf's issues in the Steelers' offense, before bringing Jefferson up while making a broader point about fit: "Every system's different, every team is different… It's like not everything's going to be catered. You see what Justin Jefferson's going through in Minnesota?"
However, Crosby wasn't questioning Jefferson's talent, and he made that plain in a hurry.
The Raiders linchpin posed the question himself and answered it in the same breath: "Is Justin Jefferson still that guy? Absolutely, he is. But it's a tough situation."
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Pro Football Network's NFL WR Impact Grade
has Jefferson at 80.8 through Week 8, tied for 16th of 86 graded wide receivers. Over the same stretch, his four touchdown catches are already double the two he had in the entire 2025 regular season. The yardage has been harder to come by, though, at 335 yards on 28 catches and 41 targets.
The week before the Lions game, when the Vikings were still unbeaten, Jefferson called the gap between his quiet numbers and Minnesota's winning an "in-between feeling."
EVERY WR, GRADED: PFN's NFL WR Impact Rankings
Crosby gave the Vikings credit for winning anyway before he turned to the offense: "They're winning a lot of games. They're 6-1. And every game they're right in it. They got a great defense, but offensively they really haven't clicked so far. And the year before, they had McCarthy, and he struggled with Jefferson. So it's just tough."
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J.J. McCarthy has since landed with the New York Giants. Jefferson finished the 2025 regular season with 84 catches for 1,048 yards, and the Vikings have started four different quarterbacks since the start of that season.
Crosby makes his living chasing quarterbacks, and he framed the rest as an occupational hazard for anyone who lines up out wide: "That's the hardest part, I feel; being a receiver, that can happen. If the quarterback situation or the offensive line is not able to protect, you know, you can't just sit back there and chuck the ball around all game even if you have a Justin Jefferson."
The Vikings WR signed a four-year, $140 million extension two years ago, but with the offense stumbling, his lack of involvement has raised more than a few eyebrows.
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Vikings Say Getting Justin Jefferson the Ball Falls on Them
Minnesota leaned on Kyler Murray's arm Sunday, and the results cut both ways. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, including the 1-yard score to Jefferson. He also threw an interception and took three sacks, while the running backs combined for 14 carries and Jefferson's longest catch went for a mere 9 yards.
Booger McFarland, a two-time Super Bowl champion, zeroed in on the quarterback spot on Sunday, more bluntly than Crosby did: "I feel bad for Justin Jefferson. If he only had an average QB."
Staying silent was a departure for Jefferson, who has twice won the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award for cooperating with the media that covers Minnesota. That left Murray and coach Kevin O'Connell to speak to his mood after Sunday's game.
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Murray took it head-on. "Obviously he's frustrated, and that's understandable. He is who he is, and he has every right to the way he feels when he doesn't get the ball. That's on us to find a way to get him the ball," the Minnesota quarterback said.
O'Connell landed in the same spot: "We had some opportunities for [Jefferson], and there were some chances there. But we've got to find a way to get him the ball … and we'll continue to find ways to get him the football. I don't fault the frustration or the competitiveness in any way, shape or form."
After Sunday, Murray and O'Connell have both put the job of getting Jefferson the football squarely on their own shoulders, and their first chance to back that up comes Monday night, Nov. 9, when the Buffalo Bills visit U.S. Bank Stadium.
This article originally appeared on
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