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Justin Jefferson thrilled crowds in Death Valley on quite a few occasions during his brilliant career at LSU.
On Sunday afternoon, the 5th-year wideout for the Minnesota Vikings gave the home fans quite a moment in the 2024 home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
Early in the 2nd quarter, Jefferson broke loose beyond the 49ers secondary and hauled in a deep pass from quarterback Sam Darnold. The play started from the Vikings’ own 3-yard line, so when Jefferson caught the pass just beyond midfield, he still had a ways to go to get to the end zone.
A few cuts and a few zig-zags later, Jefferson got to the end zone, giving the Vikings a 10-0 lead with 9:35 left in the 2nd quarter. Touchdown passes of 97 yards don’t happen very often, so the celebration was on at U.S. Bank Stadium.
JUSTIN JEFFERSON 97 YARD TUDDY!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/0PJs9mheCK
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
By late in the 2nd quarter, Jefferson already had 3 catches for 117 yards, largely thanks to that 1 electrifying touchdown catch.
Jefferson is already a 3-time Pro Bowl selection for the Vikings, so he’s well on his way to a decorated pro career to follow his equally decorated college career at LSU, where he helped the Tigers capture the national championship in 2019.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
