The Minnesota Vikings suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling 19-15 to the Detroit Lions. And star wide receiver Justin Jefferson couldn’t hide his frustration, as the Vikings’ passing game struggled once again.
Now, Jefferson has finally addressed what was bothering him. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Jefferson said his frustration came from “wanting to win,” and warned that the Vikings are “wasting” the talent they have on offense if they don’t start executing.
Jefferson’s Frustration
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Jefferson made one of the most impressive catches of the season on Sunday, tipping a pass to himself for a 1-yard touchdown. But he finished with just five catches for 33 yards, as quarterback Kyler Murray missed him on several throws, including an interception right before halftime.
Jefferson, a two-time winner of the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award for his cooperation with local media, didn’t speak to reporters after the game. But both Murray and head coach Kevin O’Connell acknowledged that he was frustrated.
“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,” Murray said, [via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50353208/vikings-acknowledge-justin-jefferson-frustration-loss).
“These guys want to win. I don’t fault the frustration or the competitiveness in any way, shape or form,” O’Connell added.
Despite the Vikings’ 6-1 start, Jefferson is off to the worst start of his career, with 28 catches for 335 yards this season. Minnesota’s offense also ranks near the bottom of the league in both points and yards per game.
Making matters more complicated, Murray suffered a hamstring injury against the Lions and has been ruled out for Monday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Carson Wentz will start in his place.
‘Wanting to Win’
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On Thursday, Jefferson spoke to reporters for the first time since the loss and explained where his frustration was coming from.
“It was wanting to win, and I felt like we had plenty of opportunities to win that game and we only hurt ourselves in multiple ways. It’s just wanting better from the whole entire offense especially. And I feel like the potential and the guys that we have in that room is something very, very special. I feel like we’re wasting that if not going out there executing the plays that we have called and just not living to that standard that we feel like we live up to every single day,” Jefferson said, [via Seifert](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50393433/justin-jefferson-says-vikings-need-figure-offense).
Jefferson admitted that he isn’t sure why the offense has struggled so much this season.
“We’ve got to figure out that answer and figure it out fast,” he said.
Jefferson made it clear that the Vikings need to get things fixed quickly if they want to make a postseason run.
“I’m pretty sure all of you guys have looked at it as well and have seen the amount of potential plays that we had out there. That’s kind of been throughout the season so far. It’s just trying to be better on offense and try to figure it out fast before it gets too late, and it gets to the postseason and we’re looking back on ifs and what-ifs and should haves,” Jefferson said.
But he also made sure to throw his support behind Murray.
“I feel like Kyler has continued to grow. I feel like Kyler is continuing to get comfortable with this offense. And I feel like the plays that are there are plays that he’s well capable of making. And those are plays that we’ve seen him make multiple times throughout the season, throughout practice and in training camp as well. So we definitely have faith in him. We have confidence in him to go out there and be that guy that we need him and want him to be,” Jefferson said.
“We’re behind him. We’re confident in him, so we just going to keep riding with him,” he added.
Clearly, Jefferson still believes in Murray. But it’s obvious that he expects much more from the Vikings’ offense moving forward.