Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson has given rookie quarterback Sam Darnold a simple two-word instruction this offseason: Trust me.
Darnold threw from his own end zone that Sunday and hit Jefferson deep downfield against double coverage, then watched as Jefferson turned it into a 97-yard touchdown pass.
Jefferson got behind the defenses of G’Air Brown and George Odom, hauled in the pass at the 49ers’ 45-yard line, and then led Brown and Odom into the end zone.
We’re actually going to have an active player in Canton.@JJettas2
📺: @NFLonCBs pic.twitter.com/cephalTst9
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2024
The Vikings outscored the San Francisco 49ers 10-0 in the second quarter at US Bank Stadium.
It was a career welcome for Jefferson. It was the second-longest play in Vikings history and the longest by a Vikings player since receiver Bernard Berrien caught a 99-yard touchdown from Gus Frerot in Week 13 of the 2008 season.