MINNEAPOLIS – Justin Jefferson sounds like he’s ready to play his biggest game of the season with the LA Rams, and it could be on the national stage.

Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings don’t have much time to lament their first loss of the season. They are on their way to take on the Rams on Thursday Night Football. Jefferson has one 100-yard rushing game this season. It was a Week 2 win over the San Francisco 49ers where he had four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown. He’s ready for that to change.

“It’s right there. I’m absolutely tired of having these 80, 90-yard games. I definitely have to get over that 100-yard hump, that’s absolutely my plan. If you see it on the tape, the explosive plays all over the world, not just me,” said Jefferson. “It’s going to be one of those games where we show the world what we’re really capable of. Hopefully it will be Thursday evening.”

Why it matters

Jefferson has 29 career 100-yard games in 66 starts. His career-high in a single game is 223 yards with the Detroit Lions in Week 13 of 2022.

If you ask Jefferson, the Vikings should have been on national television by now. Their 5-1 start is proof of that, while most outside TCO Performance Center thought it would be a tough season from a record perspective. Now they are one of the best teams in the NFC.

“I’m ready, honestly we feel like we should have been on that platform already. We’re going to have to wake some people up,” Jefferson said. “We’re going to have to be the team that no one expects to be good and that no one expects to be the team we are today.”

Darnold downplays returning to California

Sam Darnold has already played against two of his former teams this season: the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets. This week, the California native and former USC standout returns home to take on the LA Rams. However, he is inundated with ticket requests.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, he largely downplayed the game despite helping the Vikings to a 5-1 start. He has 12 touchdowns and just five interceptions in six starts.

“We’re excited to play football. I’m always excited to just go out and play football with my teammates. Other than that, it’s a different game, it’s another great opportunity,” Darnold said. “I think for us it’s just the next one, that’s our mentality, it’s been that way all year. The great thing about a short week is you don’t have a lot of time to think about stories.”