EAGAN, Minn. — Justin Jefferson is determined to "get back to Year 3 Jets" and posted that desire on his social media account Thursday, coinciding with the three-year anniversary of his famous catch at Buffalo.

Asked about his caption overlaid on an Instagram story during his weekly session with media members, Jefferson explained he wants to get back to the mindset he played with in 2022 when he set defenses ablaze, catching 128 balls for 106.4 yards per game and won NFL Offensive Player of the Year accolades.

Back to what he described as "savage mode."

"It's just going out there with that 'F-it' mentality," Jefferson said Thursday after securing four of 12 targets in Week 10. (Eight incompletions intended for him tied his most in a game in his starry career.)

"I was just on a different level," Jefferson said of his third season. "So just trying to work back into that, the feeling of being out there on Sundays and going out there and just killing it, whoever's in front of me.

"You can look at it and say every year is a spectacular year for me. But I feel like that year was just a different year … with the amount of close wins that we had that year, that adversity that we had, and just overcoming that adversity," Jefferson continued. "I feel like that year was a special year personally."

There's time, fortunately, for the Vikings and Jefferson to flip the script on 2025 and make it special too.

As his chemistry with J.J. McCarthy continues to come into focus, the 26-year-old receiver reflected on his circumstances and vocalized appreciation and a hunger: "There's definitely a lot of great things to be grateful for and to be happy about. I'm just an ultra-competitor, and I hate to lose at the end of the day."

Jefferson caught four passes for 44 yards against Chicago in Week 1, including the first career TD pass by McCarthy, helping spark a fourth-quarter rally. The teams will meet again at noon (CT) Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium to wrap the season series, which also will be the 200^th career regular-season game for Vikings safety Harrison Smith. Smith will be the sixth player to ever appear in 200 games for the Vikings.

On Friday, Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell ruled out OLB Jonathan Greenard, who suffered a shoulder injury in Week 10. Minnesota also ruled out C Ryan Kelly, who has been in concussion protocol since Week 4 and is on Injured Reserve. The team opened Kelly's 21-day practice window this week.

Vikings Uniform

Minnesota will sport a rare look, wearing purple jerseys on top of purple pants for just the 17^th time in team history. The first instance was Oct. 11, 1964. The second occurred in 2007 on Monday Night Football versus Chicago. The Vikings are 10-7 all-time when they don some variant of "Purple on Purple."

3 Vikings Storylines

1. Flushing false starts

The Vikings left a load of stinky yellow laundry in the sink last Sunday.

Thirteen total penalties matched Week 3 for the team's most in a game this season, and its most at home since committing 14 on Oct. 19, 2003. The miscues hampered execution, particularly on offense, which committed eight false starts. Coaches and players met this week to troubleshoot the problems.

Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips said, "That's not winning football. I personally am embarrassed by it."

"Each one has its own kind of individual story, but ultimately it all counts against the unit," Phillips continued. "We've addressed it – man-to-man, professional-to-professional. And we're going to face it. We're going to own it. And then we have a plan going forward to make sure it doesn't happen again."

O'Connell said the frenzy of false starts "got away from us in a pretty catastrophic way."

The coach discussed different mechanisms to ensure the issue doesn't carry into this week's game, such as improving communication between all 11 players in the huddle and the offense knowing for certain what part of the cadence has an emphasis. But everything boils down to discipline, poise and conviction.

Occasionally using a hard count to gather intel on blitzes and coverage responsibilities or persuade the defense to jump offsides can test the offense, as well, if there's a communication hiccup or mental lapse.

"In the end, you have to sit in there," Phillips said, preaching to the choir.

2. Searching for takeaways

There were more exasperated sighs than excited shouts last Sunday.

One reason why is Minnesota's defense teetered on the brink of big plays. Specifically, there were four instances of someone deflecting a Ravens pass (Greenard, Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel x2), but nothing to show for it beyond a handful of anticlimactic incompletions – four big gasps, four heavy sighs.

The result was another game sans a defensive takeaway; the fourth iteration in nine contests this season for a squad that forced at least one in every game of 2024 until the Wild Card loss. Minnesota's nine takeaways in 2025 is its fewest over its first nine games since it posted eight in 2000 (and ended with 22).

What gives? The Vikings returned 7 of 11 starters from 2024. That unit forced an NFL-high 33 turnovers.

"It's an odd-shaped ball that bounces funny," Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores said. "People say 'they come in bunches' at times. I don't necessarily believe in that. I think you've got to continue to work at it."

They haven't stopped working on punch-outs and tip drills. An "All About the Ball" circuit is a staple during practices. Some opponents, however, akin to Baltimore in Week 10, aren't absorbing much risk.

Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels set the stage for an impending surge of takeaways.

"A lot of it falls on 'How much risk can an offense really take?' We talk a lot about 'How can we create negative plays? How can we create disruption from an offensive standpoint?'" Daniels offered. "At the beginning of the year teams were running on us and so they [weren't absorbing] as much risk as they did last year. And so we kind of nipped that in the bud now. So, with that, you can kind of anticipate more turnovers coming. And again, we had opportunities [against the Ravens] … but it's a funny-shaped ball."

It's true not every takeaway happens the same, but they generally bring a congruent momentum swing.

"Turnover, technically, means to turn it over back to the other side of the ball," Flores noted, suggesting weighty-down denials and missed field goals are two more ways to uproot offenses and transform belief.

While the Vikings are tied for 22^nd in takeaways and land one on 8.9% of drives (24^th), they are 8^th best at stifling third downs (35.6% conversion rate) and are yielding the 9^th-fewest points per possession (1.96).

3. Aiming to stay unbeaten (in division)

Right now, Minnesota is the only NFC North team that's played multiple division games and won each.

Yes, you read that correctly. It's an impetus for hope. So is McCarthy's growth.

"The biggest thing that comes to mind is just consistency," he said, reflecting on what he's learned about himself since Week 1. "That's the name of the game in this league, and any real profession, just how can you be consistently great over and over again. And it all comes down to the little things in your routine."

Physical habits. Mental thought patterns. Doing anything and everything to ensure focus for 60 minutes.

"It makes it easier when the standard I have for myself is the standard that the team has for them," McCarthy answered when he was asked about balancing his on-the-fly development with a roster expecting to win. "Yes, we've got to be realistic and understand there's a lot of growth in my development personally, but I'm doing whatever I can to make sure it's a championship-worthy performance week-in and week-out. It's that recognition that there's going to be a lot of growth, and at the end of the day, it's just about getting better personally, so it [can] help the team overall."

Although Chicago won six of its first nine for the first time since reigning supreme over the division in 2018, the Bears strength of victory in 2025 is .272, the worst for any club that is currently above .500.

FWIW: Sharp Football Analysis ranked Minnesota’s remaining schedule as the toughest in the NFL.

2 Things 'Bout the Bears

1. Churning out turnovers

Chicago's defense is perforated. It ranks 24^th in rushing, 26^th in passing and 27^th in total yards per game allowed (135.3/240.3/375.7). Worse yet, the Bears are 28^th in the NFL in average points given up (27.4).

But no team is better than them at forcing turnovers.

"They're very opportunistic," Phillips said.

Chicago's 20 takeaways in nine games is three more than any other defense. The primary thieves are 6-foot-4 inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who's used his length and range to nab four interceptions, and instinctive safety Kevin Byard, who also has picked off four passes to raise his NFL-best total since his rookie year in 2016 to 33. Additionally, wiry CB Nahshon Wright, a standout on the Vikings practice squad last season, has three INTs, including the pick six he plucked off McCarthy in the Week 1 meeting.

Both are true: Dennis Allen's defense has five games with three or more takeaways (1^st), but it has generated the fewest punts overall (23). That's partly because Chicago is struggling on early downs; its third-down conversion rate is the sixth-stingiest (34.4%), but its 93 third downs faced is the bottommost.

As far as what's helped Allen's unit repeatedly bend, and make splashes, without snapping in half …

"They've got some good all-up looks where they can pressure you and they can drop out and they can make some things look the same and end up playing some either [Cover 0] or not in some very similar looks," Phillips said. "So, challenging defense; got respect for those players over there."

2. Thriving in the fourth quarter

One reason Chicago has a co-division-leading six wins is Williams' aplomb when games are undecided.

The 2024 No. 1 overall selection is tied, already, with Billy Wade in 1962, Bob Avellini in 1977 and Jay Cutler in 2009-10 and 2015 for the most game-winning drives in one season by a Bears quarterback (4). That's equal to Baker Mayfield and Bo Nix for the most this year, and three from tying Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and Jake Plummer for the most GWDs in a season within a QBs initial two campaigns.

Fielding a question about Williams' heroics, Flores said it "looks like he thrives in those moments."

The dual-threat QB has orchestrated comebacks under two minutes in consecutive weeks versus the Giants and Bengals and ushered 25-24 wins over the Commanders and Raiders earlier in the schedule.

O'Connell said Williams has "made some throws that haven't necessarily ended up in completions" that are worth scanning over again and rewatching on film "just because of the high, high level of difficulty of the throw he can make in and out of the pocket. And that's something we've always known about him."

Williams is one of 11 QBs with a triple-digit passer rating in fourth quarters this year (min. five games), and the No. 13-ranked player with a cumulative 96.6 passer rating in final frames since 2024 (min. 100 pass attempts), right behind Patrick Mahomes (98.6), Nix and Aaron Rodgers (both 99.1) in that stretch.

Williams' elusiveness is extra apparent – and he leans on it – in critical, game-winding-down junctures.

Dating to his rookie slate, Williams' 247 scrimmage yards in the fourth quarter ranks third among QBs. The only ones with more rushing/receiving yardage in that span are Josh Allen (328) and Lamar Jackson (298). In all other quarters combined, Williams has accounted for 509 yards as a runner or pass-catcher.

The stats reinforce Williams is operating late in games with a certain level of calmness and moxie.

If the field goal difference in the season opener was any indication, or even Minnesota's one other divisional game in tow in Week 9 at Detroit (also a 3-point win), then Sunday figures to be competitive.

And in that event, containing Williams in the witching hour could be fundamental to a Vikings win.

"We've got to be at our best, because he's going to be at his best and they're going to be at their best," Flores surmised. "And, you know, it's a division game. That's probably what it's going to be. We know it's going to be a 60-minute battle. We've got to prepare the right way. It's going to be a big, big challenge."

1 Key Matchup

Vikings DL vs. Bears OL

Chicago's run game, powered by its starting five up front, has turned it up a notch.

Through six weeks, the Bears had zero games eclipsing 170 yards rushing. Through 10 weeks, they have three such games. We'll leave you to do the math. Overall, they're averaging 147.3 yards on the ground.

The only team doing better is Buffalo (153.2 YPG).

D'Andre Swift paces the backfield with 544 rushing yards (4.8 a pop), and rookie Kyle Monangai has 390 (5.2 avg.). Williams is involved via scrambles and keepers, as well, and has 246 after posting 489 in 2024.

"You've heard the phrase 'It's the quarterback's best friend,' " Flores said about an impactful run game.

It's not just the push that's making a difference. The Bears starting five is protecting Williams, as well. He's tied for the fourth-fewest sacks (14) after being dropped 68 times his rookie year, and he isn't crumbling against the blitz. His passer rating with 5-plus rushers is 119.2, an upgrade from 85.3 in 2024.

"Their offensive line's probably not getting talked about enough," O'Connell emphasized. "When I turn on the tape, I see one of the best right tackles in football. And I think their additions at center and guard have shown up and been pretty consistently healthy and been out there on the field jelling together. And they made the switch at left tackle, and you see the production they're getting out of that position now."

Tackles Theo Benedet and Darnell Wright deserve respect, and the interior of Chicago's o-line is a force.

Guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman – veteran additions via free agency – have played 99.3 percent of snaps at the three spots together and averaged a 5.8 percent pressure rate allowed (8^th-lowest) and a 0.2 percent sack rate (3^rd-lowest), according to NGS. The Vikings will greet them with an interior DL getting off the ball in an average of 0.97 seconds, the quickest of any IDL group.

All things considered, it seems like a critical matchup.

Top Quotes of Week 11

Vikings RB Aaron Jones, Sr., on embracing with his mother, Vurgess, after running out of the tunnel

"It was special, amazing. Definitely one of my top moments in the NFL, just to be able to get in that mode, like, 'Hey, I'm about to go to battle' but then have the honor to run out with the flag, and the reason that I'm able to run out with the flag is because of the sacrifices that my parents made. And then to run out with the flag last year I almost cried when I got to run out with it because it was the first time I got to do something like that. So when they told me, 'Hey, you're going to [do it this time, too]', I was honored again, and it's like so much gratitude. But once I got down there, ran through my teammates and I saw my mom, it was just like, 'Wow, like, you're on the field. Let's go!' And then my mom said 'This was the best day ever.' … Glad I was able to get in the end zone for her and make her day a little special.

"I knew she would be in town – she goes to all the games – but didn't know to that extent that she would be right there waiting on me or I would be the one giving her the flag, which was, like I said, probably when I look back, is going to be a highlight of my career, just to honor my mother who I wouldn't be here without her. So, giving her her flowers. And I'd truly like to thank the Vikings for making me feel special, making my mother feel special. I always talk about how special this organization is because they care more than just about you. They care about your family, as well. And they know that [moment] will do wonders for me. So truly thankful, and it's a lot of gratitude toward them as well."

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell on DL Jalen Redmond flashing on a consistent basis

"He's clearly established himself. There's a standard to his play. It's shown up every single week. And it goes back a lot before everybody kind of started to notice it, for us, and just felt like he was a guy that we wanted to make sure was on the field as much as possible. And it's not just the run game. I think he's shown up as a rusher, his rush transition off of playing his role in the run game. And then he transitions and can sack the quarterback, block shots, all those things. I think he's a really good player. I think he's developed throughout his time here and really started to understand how he fits within the defense. And now he's getting an opportunity to be a weapon in a lot of ways of playing multiple spots for a purpose and a reason, to try to shrink that run-game menu of our opponents and allow him to be in a playmaking spot. … I love the player and everything he brings to our defense and our building every day."

From the Inbox | by Craig Peters

Why have the Vikings become so uninspiring in home games this year? Whatever happened to the "defend our house" mentality that used to make them tough to beat at home?

To play as sloppy as they did [in Week 10] in front of the home crowd should be embarrassing to each one of them! No grit, no determination, no sense of urgency.

— Greg Y.

This is a fair question that the Vikings need to answer Sunday, particularly since it's one of two home games before Christmas Day.

Since the 1970 NFL merger, the Vikings have won 286 home games, which trails only the Steelers (307) and Broncos (292), so there's a long track record of protecting the house, whether it has or has not been enclosed.

Since U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016, the Vikings are 50-28 for a win percentage of .641 that ranks eighth in the NFL, but Minnesota has fallen to 1-3 there this season.

It's hard to find a Vikings squad that's struggled to maintain momentum quite the way this one has. Following the dramatic Week 1 win at Chicago, the team didn't execute in Week 2 against Atlanta.

The Vikings pounced on the turnover prone Bengals in Week 3 before the international double dip.

Removing the 48-10 win over Cincinnati that was fueled by five takeaways, including two defensive touchdowns, and the Vikings have been outscored 77-47 in the other three home games.

The most common denominator of all is Minnesota was minus-3 in turnover margin against Atlanta and minus-2 against Philly and Baltimore. Losing the turnover battle usually has a strong connection to scoreboard results, particularly by two or more giveaways.

We have the benefit of getting to sit in the open-air press box at U.S. Bank Stadium, and I can vouch that the crowds have been good, especially at key moments.

The past two home games have occurred against the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles and a Ravens squad with talent that far exceeds its 4-5 record to the point of still being considered a contender. So that's a high level of competition, but the games have involved way too much self-harm.

The eight false starts in a home game is almost unheard of, and that's a lack of focus and execution. The Vikings feel like they've cleaned up some things this week. Now it's time to show it.

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