(Video) Justin Jefferson’s Extreme Frustration During Bears Game Indicates He’s Losing Patience With JJ McCarthy

Justin Jefferson caught 5 passes from 9 targets in the Bears loss in Week 11.

(Video) Justin Jefferson’s Extreme Frustration During Bears Game Indicates He’s Losing Patience With JJ McCarthy

An angry Justin Jefferson smashes his helmet (Image via IMAGO/X)

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If it wasn’t obvious before that Justin Jefferson is frustrated with the Minnesota Vikings’ struggling season, his reaction during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears made it crystal clear. He was overthrown, targeted just 9 times, and missed crucial catches.

Jefferson’s season hasn’t panned out the way he would have planned. It’s mostly down to constant change at the quarterback position.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell has shown indomitable faith in second-year quarterback JJ McCarthy. O’Connell’s gamble has yet to bear fruit. On the contrary, the Vikings are on the brink of missing postseason football after finishing second in 2024.

McCarthy missed time due to injury, and the Vikings turned to veteran Carson Wentz. The battered and bruised Wentz ended up in IR, but until then held down the fort. McCarthy made a comeback in the win over the Lions. However, the Ravens brought him back down to earth.

Jefferson and the other Vikings receivers suffered greatly because of the inconsistency. As a result, they started as underdogs against a Bears team that lost in the reverse fixture in week one.

McCarthy struggled to find his targets once again. He completed 16 passes from 32 attempts (50%) for 150 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Jefferson caught 5 of those passes for 61 yards and zero touchdowns.

The 26-year-old’s numbers would have looked better if he and JJ were on the same page. Jefferson’s frustration got the better of him. He was seen animated inside the Vikings’ dugout throughout the game.

Justin Jefferson made his feelings clear on JJ McCarthy after the Vikings lost against the Bears

McCarthy missed his entire rookie season after undergoing surgery on his right knee. Sam Darnold made the QB position his own and led the Vikings to a wild-card spot.

(Video) Justin Jefferson's Extreme Frustration During Bears Game Indicates He's Losing Patience With JJ McCarthy
Justin Jefferson (Image via IMAGO)

Darnold helped Jefferson record his fourth 1400+ receiving yards season in five years, establishing himself as the best receiver in football. With Darnold gone, the QB responsibility fell on McCarthy. In five starts, McCarthy has thrown 74 completions from 140 pass attempts (52.9%) for 842 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He also has 2 scores on the ground.

These aren’t elite numbers, and definitely nowhere near the level of production Drake Maye, Bo Nix, and Caleb Williams have had (2024 draft class). McCarthy is essentially a rookie, but he also had one year to study and learn O’Connell’s playbook during rehab.

Despite the disappointing result against the Bears, Jefferson chose to give the benefit of the doubt to McCarthy.

I felt like we [the Vikings] should have played better overall. But at the end of the day, when it really counted, J.J. [McCarthy] stepped up. That’s the main focus… Of course, there are things to work on and fix on the offensive side of the ball. We also need to help the defense out a lot more than we’re doing. Like I said, we have to look at the film, see what needs to be fixed, work on it, and come back ready to go.

Justin Jefferson said (H/T: Heavy.com)

Jefferson has 56 receptions for 747 yards and 2 touchdowns. 1000 yards is a possibility, but he would need seven 100+ receiving yards games to cross 1400 yards a fifth time.

The Vikings fell to a 4-6 record with the loss and are at the bottom of the NFC North. Next week, they play the 6-3-1 Green Bay Packers.

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