Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson made the most of a game with little at stake between Minnesota and the Detroit Lions, recording his name in NFL history twice on Sunday afternoon.
Entering Week 17 with 1,267 yards received, Jefferson needed 111 yards at the end of the Vikings’ season to set a new rookie record in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). He broke the mark established by Anquan Boldin of Arizona (1,377) in 2003 by receiving a 37-yard pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter. The first round is now the second of all time behind Bill Groman of Houston, who holds the debutant record of 1,473 receiving yards established in 1960.
Prior to that, Jefferson set a franchise debutant record for receiving yards. Wearing custom cleats that honored the Hall of Famer Randy Moss, Jefferson was given a 15-yard pass in the third quarter to break Moss’s 1998 (1313) rookie record for newcomers.
Last month, Jefferson passed the Moss mark in the only season of 69 catches in his debut season. Sunday marked the former LSU star’s seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season.