EAGAN, Minn. — On the horizon, another Thursday night in Los Angeles. And another chance for every-day-of-the-week Vikings star Justin Jefferson to etch his name in stone as one of the greatest.

The 26-year-old, recently viral for his sideshow pranking as nature photographer Darius Frost in Prime Video's "Eli Manning Presents: The Undercovers" is on the verge of making more history at his main job.

Jefferson will burst into TNF at SoFi Stadium versus the Chargers with 7,960 career receiving yards. Forty more will make him the third player to hit 8,000 in his first six seasons. Randy Moss recorded 8,375 in his first 96 games and 91 starts, and Torry Holt celebrated 8,156 in the same number of games and 86 starts.

If he maintains his 2025 pace, "Jets" could threaten at eclipsing 9,000 by the time he plays his 94^th game.

Jefferson's storied ascension as arguably the youngest "all-timer" includes games of nine receptions for 143 yards (Week 10 of 2021) and seven for 149 and a touchdown (Week 3 of 2023) against the Chargers. A third consecutive performance of 140-plus yards would link Jefferson to Jerry Rice, as the league's only players with that many in each of his first three games against an opponent (Rice had 465 to begin his demolition of, believe it or not, the Chargers franchise). Jefferson has averaged 123 in four career TNF games.

With just a single touchdown catch so far this season, Jefferson expressed this week he's eager to score.

"I've always said, my opportunities are very slim, especially in the red zone. I don't really get those man-to-man coverages like that," he noted, harkening back to a potential touchdown cancelled out six minutes before halftime in a solo match with Eagles CB Cooper DeJean in last week's heartbreak. "It definitely haunted me that Sunday night, just looking back at the play, seeing the replay, seeing that I could've controlled the ball all the way through, and just letting him, really, just hit it out of my hand."

The zippy turnaround gives Jefferson and Minnesota a quick opening for redemption.

Vikings Uniform

Minnesota will wear white jerseys and white pants, the same look it had for Week 5 against Cleveland in London.

3 Vikings Storylines

1. Short rest, big test

The Vikings locker room was an echo chamber after the six-point loss to Philadelphia.

Players were on the same page – ready to turn the page – and said as much. Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers anticipated leaving an unmemorable game, unlike several incredibly memorable ones he had previously, in the underbelly of U.S. Bank Stadium. Others used similar phrasing, eager to rid their minds of an irking defeat.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell reminded of the broader picture less than 48 hours removed from that unsavory taste, and a little more than 48 hours until a potential palate cleanser against the Chargers.

"You're not flushing it from a standpoint of forgetting what happened on Sunday," he stated Tuesday, adding that staff and players left the stadium with an optimistic outlook despite the negative result. "If you look at it from a standpoint of a lot of the positive things that were done, and then the correctable things that were clearly on the tape, and things for both players and coaches, we're encouraged. And that's what sometimes a short week can give you is a chance to take some of that and put it into action."

Simpler said than done, obviously, and especially so when the next opponent's quarterback is Justin Herbert, a 6-foot-6, 236-pound purveyor of wicked highlights with a javelin launcher attached to his shoulder.

Herbert bumped up his highwater mark for passing yards in a game with 420 last week, outdoing his previous career-high of 405, which he accomplished against the Vikings in their 2023 competition. In the Chargers loss to the Colts, Herbert became the NFL's first player with 35-plus completions, 420-plus yards, 3-plus pass TDs and 30-plus rush yards in a defeat. He's 12-11 in his career in prime time, with 40 TDs and 11 INTs.

When O'Connell was asked about his pre-draft assessment of Herbert, the coach waxed eloquently.

"He's big. He's strong. He's very athletic. I still don't know if he gets enough credit for his athleticism. I mean, the mobility in Justin's game is real," he said of the 2020 No. 6 overall pick. "He can hurt you in the pocket with elite arm strength and accuracy, but then he can clearly make plays with his legs and create to give them extended opportunities at plays down the field, and staying on the field moving the chains.

"We know they want to run the football. We know they want to do a lot of things off that run game," O'Connell continued. "But the pass game and the weapons they have, both the guys that are known guys and they've got some guys really emerging as well on that offensive side getting some real opportunities.

"I just remember seeing a guy that (even) in that spread, no-huddle system at Oregon, you could still see a player with the skill set that would really fit any NFL offense," he added. "And that's absolutely become an accurate statement – not only where he's at, but I think he's still an ascending player."

Herbert currently is pacing the NFL in passing attempts (271) and yards (1,913) and owns a 94.5 passer rating, slightly above the league average. His 65.5 QBR, which factors in other elements like designed runs and scrambles, is ninth overall and the second-best figure in his career (70.9 in his 2021 Pro Bowl campaign).

2. Desperate for takeaways

Minnesota has forced half as many turnovers in its first six games (7) than it did in the first six of 2024 (14).

Here's an uglier wording of the dearth of takeaways that were so crucial to the club's 14 wins last year: After forcing one or more turnovers in all 17 regular-season games, and more than two on 11 occasions in 2024, Brian Flores' group has zero takeaways in three straight games, and just a single showcase with more than one.

Five happened in the blink of an eye against the Bengals after the Vikings snagged one apiece the initial two weeks. The first takeaway of 2025 was a trivial fumble recovery on a prayer attempt by the Bears as time expired, and the second was a ball jarred loose by Eric Wilson against Atlanta, which prefaced a 17-play, 53-yard drive that netted a field goal.

In Week 7, the absence of takeaway-making was compounded by the secondary sometimes displaying bad vision and leverage. As a result, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts registered a perfect passer rating (158.3) and nailed five throws of 20-plus air yards, two more "deep passes" than Minnesota allowed in Games 1-5.

On balancing the sudden explosiveness permitted in the pass game with 20 quarters of the defense doing its best "No Fly Zone" impression, O'Connell said there's some level of looking back at the makeup of the moments – from the play call to the technique to the communication – to decide how to improve.

Ultimately, he gauged, it's important to trust that proper execution will increase takeaway opportunities.

"If we continue to do the things defensively that equal good principles for us, we've shown to be able to cause disruption [that] leads to negativity – and then have chances at turning the football over," the coach determined. "We've just got to find a way to make that part of our DNA, and obviously strain and stress the things that are really important to doing those things that Flo' brought here with him, with this defensive philosophy that we've had a lot of success with. But gotta keep the [chunk plays] off the tape."

3. As gauntlet looms, health improves

The reward of kicking off the week's games is a respite from the grind this weekend.

Minnesota's mini-bye unfortunately occurs on the heels of its full off-week. It does, however, give the Vikings an extra few days to recover physically and refresh mentally for a demanding future schedule that features games at Detroit, against Baltimore and Chicago, and then trips to Green Bay and Seattle.

While there's no guarantee of the timing, J.J. McCarthy likely reinserts in the lineup in one of those games.

"J.J., the medical staff, myself, we're all encouraged about where he's at and the progress he's making, but he's just not there," O'Connell said after testing McCarthy's ankle in an on-field workout Tuesday separate from the rest of the team, in addition to the walk-through. "And if this was a Sunday game, maybe it would be a little bit of a different story and we could push it throughout the week and see where he's at toward the end of the week. But really, I look at today almost as the combination of a Wednesday-Thursday, but really, it is a Friday on the timeline of coming up on being 48 hours out from the game. So we wanted to have a plan at the quarterback position, and it'll be very similar to last week."

Again, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will be the backup to Carson Wentz, and McCarthy will be the emergency option only able to play should Wentz and Brosmer suffer injuries that keep them from playing.

Another starter close to reentering the lineup is running back Aaron Jones, Sr., whose 21-day window to return off Injured Reserve opened Tuesday. Jones doesn't need to "get out there and test (his hamstring) too much," O'Connell said, because "he knows what he has to do; he knows what he needs to feel like."

"We'll be smart with Aaron, but at the same time, he's here for a reason, and we know what he can bring to our offense. So we'll see how he responds," O'Connell shared. "Because he didn't play on Sunday (against Philly), he can do a little bit more either with the trainers or side work in conjunction with what he's doing in the walkthrough to mentally prepare, to kind of figure out [what his status is] on Thursday."

McCarthy and Jones haven't played since Week 2. The 30-year-old Jones rushed for exactly 23 yards in each of the first two games. He tied Jefferson as the offense's leading receiver in Week 1, with 44 yards. Jones was listed as questionable on Wednesday's final injury report.

2 Things 'Bout the Chargers

1. Target King: Keenan Allen

An unexaggerated sigh of relief lasted about four months.

After acquiring Keenan Allen in March 2024 and reaping the benefits of a 1-year rental of one of the all-time great route runners, Chicago allowed Allen's contract to expire this past spring. The 33-year-old receiver couldn't be a thorn in Minnesota's side any longer. … Welp. Until he returned to the Chargers.

On Aug. 5, Los Angeles brought back its franchise cornerstone, who ranks second in Bolts history in receptions (948) and receiving yards (10,965). Amazingly, at the rate he's going, Allen may rewrite Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates' team record for catches on TNF – eight will do the trick.

Even at his relatively old age, Allen is on a 17-game pace of 107 receptions for 1,056 yards. He leads the Chargers offense with 44 for 435 after seven games despite starting just one and handling a career-low snap share (63 percent). Allen was in vintage form in L.A.'s Week 7 loss to Indianapolis, compiling 11 catches for 119 yards and a TD. More than half his grabs have gone for first downs (27) and his 3.1 drop percentage (two clunkers on 65 targets) is his lowest since 2.2 in 2022 when he dropped two of 89 looks.

That's all to say Allen still has the goods, which he often upgrades to greatness against the Vikings.

In division action versus Minnesota last season, Allen produced 15 catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Strong numbers, no doubt. But they only tell about half the story, because in those two games Allen drew 28 combined targets. (That 53.6 catch percentage is typically survivable for defenses.)

His numbers were inflated even more in a single matchup with Minnesota in 2023. In that meeting – his only win in six tries – Allen generated 18 catches for 215 yards on 20 targets. Two years before that, Allen snatched eight of 11 passes for 98 yards; in 2019 he caught nine of 10 for 99; and in his debut against the Purple a decade ago, the 2013 third-round draft pick was thrown to 18 times and posted a 12-133-2 line.

Overall, Allen has been targeted on 87 instances in six career games against Minnesota. The only active player targeted more is former Packers star/Vikings problem Davante Adams, with 147 in 16 (!) contests.

Basic math informed us that's 9.2 targets per game for Adams, and a whopping 14.5 for Allen.

The NFL record-holder for receptions in a single game, Brandon Marshall (21 on Dec. 13, 2009, against the Colts), is the only other player, active or retired, in the same realm as Allen in terms of attracting targets against the Vikings. Marshall drew 86 in seven games (12.3 avg.) spanning the 2007-14 seasons.

More than anything, Allen's preference for playing Minnesota (it's safe to presume that's a thing based on his 10.3 career receptions per game, the most by a player versus a single opponent over at least four games in NFL annals) is worth awareness. Although Allen is not a burner or big threat after the catch, there are few players with surer hands, as deft as him at identifying voids and exploiting zone coverages.

2. Led by Michigan Men

Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter held the same titles at Michigan in 2023 when McCarthy quarterbacked the Wolverines to a perfect 15-0 record and CFP National Championship.

The coaches transferred their styles – Harbaugh's fanaticism for physicality and preparation, which became pillars of his rebuild of academic-driven programs at the University of San Diego and Stanford in the 2000s and essential ingredients to San Francisco's run to Super Bowl LXVII, and Minter's focus on scheme and fundamentals, sharpened under Don "Wink" Martindale's defensive innovation on John Harbaugh's staff in Baltimore – to Los Angeles and assimilated the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense and No. 11 offense in 2024.

In Year 2 together, the Chargers have dropped to the bottom half of the league in points scored and points allowed. Injuries to tone-setting players, such as first-round rookie running back Omarion Hampton, have taken a toll (more on that in this week's key matchup), causing Harbaugh and Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman to rely on Herbert's talent.

Still, the Chargers are led by Michigan Men. That's of course a silly thing to say when they're a West Coast franchise thousands of miles from Ann Arbor, except for the fact that it entails a specific mentality.

Harbaugh's squad and Minter's defense embody the values that Michigan has prided itself on as an institution since the Bo Schembechler days: discipline, hard work, sacrifice and a true team-first spirit.

As Kansas City's backup to Patrick Mahomes a year ago, Wentz prepared for Minter's unit twice. He respects them, he offered, noting "they don't do anything crazy, but what they do they do really sound."

"They have good players, and they mix it up just enough to make it complicated at times," Wentz said, describing them as tough to play against. "It's a fast defense. They fly around. They're pretty assignment sound, and they mix up the personnel on the back end quite a bit, so it's gonna be a good challenge."

Los Angeles' defensive leaders are Swiss Army knife safety Derwin James (team-high 49 tackles), inside linebacker Daiyan Henley (48 tackles, one pick and 2.0 sacks), outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu (team-high 5.0 sacks) and safety Tony Jefferson. The latter's story is awesome. He retired in 2023 and spent that year as a scouting intern for Chargers GM Joe Hortiz, who was serving then as Baltimore's Director of Player Personnel. Jefferson joined the Bolts last year and, at age 33, leads them with two picks.

1 Key Matchup

Vikings front seven vs. Chargers starting five

This goes both ways, really.

Minnesota has used five different starting offensive line combinations. Los Angeles has used four. The Chargers have had multiple players log 100 or more snaps at left tackle, right guard and right tackle, per Next Gen Stats. And the Vikings have multiple with 100 or more snaps at center and both tackle spots.

Penetration in the run game and pressure in the pass game, bringing it and protecting against it, are the Vikings and Chargers – and every team's – best or worst abilities, because they'll sway momentum in or out of one's favor, and permit or prevent them from executing their designs and realizing their identities.

Chargers starting left tackle Rashawn Slater is on IR, and right tackle Joe Alt, who flipped sides to keep Herbert's blindside safe, hasn't played since Sept. 28 due to an ankle injury. Alt was listed as questionable Wednesday.

Things to consider: 1) Minnesota boasts the NFL's longest active streak of games with 2-plus sacks at 10. And 2) Herbert has tossed five of his six interceptions — and his passer rating is 15.7 points lower (103.7 compared to 88.0) — with Alt on the sideline. He's also faced a 5.5-percent increase in pressure without Alt.

Top Quotes of Week 8

Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz on growing his rapport with Jordan Addison

"I didn't know what he, quite frankly, brought to the table. I'd heard (of) it and seen it on film, but seeing it firsthand, the practice reps have been very limited over the past few weeks, with just the scheduling and all the things, and obviously getting him back after being out for a little while there. Chemistry is easy when you're open by 5-10 yards at the end of the day. He's been making it easy, and I've developed a ton of confidence in him and his ability to get in and out of breaks and put a lot of stress on those DBs."

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson on NFL players dealing with verbal abuse from angry fans

"It's definitely tough, especially with social media. People don't really have a filter, people don't really care about your emotions or care about how you're feeling. And that's definitely something that's tough to deal with. I've kind of helped my way into limiting those comments, and of course there's different ways of keeping those comments away from your visual, even if you have to restrict some of the comments, some of the words that they might say. I've turned my messages off. … I haven't talked to [Isaiah Rodgers] about that yet, but I definitely wanna talk to him about it and see where his head is at with it, and how comfortable he is about talking about it."

From the Inbox | by Craig Peters

Which adjective or two best describes the Vikings season so far? And why did you pick those word(s)?

— Ed Helinski in Auburn, New York

This is an interesting question, and it's requesting that I'm brief with the response.

I geek out over nuances from time to time. It's why I struggle with figuring out what to say on social media.

"Disappointing" (so far) or "up-and-down" are probably top of mind for a lot of people.

I think I'll ultimately choose challenging.

"Disappointing" is not out of place given the fact that the Vikings were coming off a 14-win season in 2024 and executed multiple parts of an offseason plan tot try to keep that momentum rolling, even while transitioning to the J.J. McCarthy era as a starting quarterback. But McCarthy's high-ankle sprain and wave-on-wave of injuries, particularly on the offensive line — Minnesota opened last week by using its 15^th different combination of five offensive linemen (at any point in a game) — have made this season incredibly "challenging" so far.

A really tough schedule is projected to be even more difficult. The NFC has seven teams that are 5-2 or better, and the AFC has three. Minnesota is one of 12 NFC teams at 3-3 or better, and every team in the NFC North is .500 or better entering Week 8.

The optimists of the world can point out that this season is "less-than-half-written."

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