Vikings' Justin Jefferson has more career receiving yards and TDs than all of the Chiefs wideouts combined
Jefferson has been setting the standard for wide receivers in the NFL
By
Jeff Kerr
•
2 min read
The Kansas City Chiefs' collection of wide receivers haven't exactly set the world on fire through the first four games of the season, having only 588 receiving yards. To put things in perspective, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has 543 receiving yards this season in the same amount of games (the Chiefs are playing the Vikings this week).
Jefferson, alone, almost has as many receiving yards as seven wide receivers on one team. The Chiefs were supposed to be deeper at wide receiver this year, but those results haven't shown through four games. While Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says he's satisfied with the production of his wide receivers, the unit can certainly improve.
"We're rotating a bunch of guys in there, so nobody's gotten an extreme amount of catches on this," Reid said Wednesday, via a Chiefs transcript. "That's just how it's going to be. We have six or seven guys who can play, so we're putting them all in here and there."
Reid has been correct in the Chiefs spreading the ball around. Here are the numbers of the Chiefs wide receivers so far:
| Player | Catches | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
8 | 163 | 0 | |
13 | 140 | 1 | |
7 | 112 | 1 | |
6 | 104 | 1 | |
9 | 57 | 0 | |
1 | 6 | 0 | |
1 | 6 | 0 |
This makes what Jefferson has done all the more appealing. Just looking at the career numbers of Jefferson compared to the wide receivers numbers on the Chiefs paints an interesting picture.
Jefferson vs. Chiefs wide receivers (career)
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Receiving TD | 100-yard games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Jefferson | 357 | 5,368 | 28 | 27 |
Chiefs WRs | 328 | 4,838 | 23 | 7 |
Jefferson is rewriting the NFL record books for wide receivers through his first four seasons, so him outproducing an entire group of wideouts isn't all too surprising. This also demonstrates the impact Jefferson has on a game every week, no matter the Vikings record.
"He's great. I think it's talent, being able to recognize coverages, and I think what people don't understand is how physical he is catching the football," said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. "If you watch the games man, I mean he will go up there and get it. He will put his body on the line, you can tell he loves competing, he loves winning.
"So, I think that's what makes a lot of great players in this league, and that's why he has so much success so early in his career."
The wide receiver discrepancy is certainly large between Jefferson and the Chiefs wideouts, as the young unit is trying to make its own mark over the course of the season.
Mahomes will take the blame for the unit's production upon himself.
"I just haven't played very good to start the season," Mahomes said. "So I think if I start playing better, everybody will start playing better."
