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Justin Jefferson came into the game today against the Green Bay Packers knowing he could overtake Calvin Johnson as the wide receiver with the most receiving yards in a season.
He needed just 209 yards today to eclipse 1,964 yards, the current record. Instead, on New Year's Day, he had one reception for 15 yards. He could not get anywhere near it as the Green Bay defense shut down the Minnesota offense.
It was a frustrating afternoon all the way for him and nothing captured his frustration more than when he nearly impaled a referee with his helmet. It was right after Kirk Cousins had thrown an interception instead of throwing a pass at him.
It was a measure of his frustration that it was still in the first half at the time, with the Packers just two points ahead. It highlighted just how bad the evening was going for them and it did not improve as the game went on. The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers 41-17.
Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson blow the chance to rise in playoff spots
Kirk Cousins had a terrible game today, throwing three interceptions and just one touchdown. His quarterback rating of 49.2 was the worst he has had this season.
For Justin Jefferson, there might still be a chance of redemption when the Vikings take on the Chicago Bears in the final week. The Bears are the weakest team in the NFC North this season and he still needs another 194 yards to break the single-season record that Calvin Johnson currently holds. However, had he gotten the record today, he would have done so in 16 games, the same number of games that Johnson had available to him in the regular season when he was playing. Now, if he gets it, there will be an asterisk next to it.
For the Vikings, the loss was a bitter one to swallow as well. Had they won this game, they would have tied the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC playoffs picture with a 13-3 record. Instead, they are now at a 12-4 record, tied with the San Francisco 49ers, with the latter having a conference tiebreaker. They slipped to the third seed with this loss, meaning they may now have to go on the road more to get to the Super Bowl. It was a night to forget for everyone associated with the Vikings.
