Five things the KC Chiefs must do to beat the Minnesota Vikings
3. Limit Justin Jefferson
There's very little doubt that the best player on the Minnesota Vikings is wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Behind only Patrick Mahomes, he was voted the second best player in football in the NFL's annual Top 100 list.
Justin Jefferson is a menace to opposing secondaries. He leads the NFL in receiving yards at 543 and has averaged an astonishing 3.25 yards per route run this season. For reference, the top pass-catcher on the Chiefs is Rashee Rice at 2.50 yards/route run and every pass-catcher is below 2.0.
There's little chance that even a great defense like Kansas City can completely take him away, but it would go a long way to just limit his production. He's 100% capable of being a game-wrecker on offense as he's already recorded an insane ten games with at least 150 receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2020. Only Tyreek Hill has more in that same time span with 11. Jefferson will very likely put up strong numbers no matter what, but if the Chiefs can hold him to around 100 receiving yards at the most, that will be a win for the defense.
Minnesota also has weapons such as rookie Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson but Justin Jefferson is the belle of the ball. With the exception of potential garbage time. if Steve Spagnuolo can figure out how to stop him from completely wrecking the game, Kansas City's chances of winning this game increase significantly.