How Close To Jefferson Is Jordan Addison’s Ceiling?
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
It’s 2nd & Goal with the Minnesota Vikings up 28-21 on the Atlanta Falcons, and they’re looking to put the game away. Sam Darnold takes the snap and notices that the Falcons defenders are backing up into zone coverage and closely guarding the end zone. Rather than taking an ill-advised shot toward the end zone, Darnold finds Jordan Addison underneath on a pivot route, and Addison leaps past the goal line for his third touchdown of the day.
ADDISON’S 3RD TD CATCH. DARNOLD’S 5TH TD PASS!
📺: #ATLvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Uimc7uUEPE— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
Addison and Justin Jefferson combined for 15 receptions for 265 yards and five touchdowns. Speaking with the media in the locker room post-game, Addison was asked how it felt to see him and Jefferson near the top of the league in receiving yards this week, lighting up the Falcons’ 25th-ranked pass defense. “Man, it felt great,” Addison said. “I feel like that’s what we came here to do, and you know we’re doing it.”
From the moment he was drafted with the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Addison’s primary goal has been forming the NFL’s best WR duo alongside Justin Jefferson. There are too many formidable wide receiver duos in the league to count, but personally, I think the Cincinnati Bengals are the cream of the crop with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Why them? Because Higgins regularly performs as Chase’s equal. Addison is very talented, but he’s been the Robin to JJets’ Batman. Addison has the potential to become something close to Jefferson’s equal, as he was on Sunday, but how close to Addison’s ceiling to Jefferson’s level?
Addison has been on an absolute tear as of late. He finished last week’s game with eight receptions, 133 yards, and three touchdowns, a career-best outing for the second-year wideout. To put into perspective how good Addison’s performance was, he earned an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 90.1, which ranks second amongst all Vikings in Week 14, trailing only Sam Darnold. Over the past three weeks, Addison has ranked in the top six amongst all NFL receivers in several statistical categories including receptions, receiving yards, first downs, and touchdowns.
Jordan Addison among WRs over the past three weeks:
🟣 87.9 PFF grade (5th)
🟡 20 receptions (T-6th)
🟣 349 receiving yards (2nd)
🟡 4 receiving TDs (1st)
🟣 14 first downs (T-5th)
🟡 158.3 rating when targeted (1st) pic.twitter.com/Z76wcno0pH— PFF MIN Vikings (@PFF_Vikings) December 11, 2024
Could Addison’s recent performances be a sign that he’s blossoming into an elite wide receiver like Jefferson, or is it just a symptom of how teams are guarding the best receiver in the league? And does it even matter which is which?
On one hand, Addison has the talent to command a defense’s attention on his own, and his recent play as a sophomore suggests that he’s quickly developing in front of our very eyes. On the other hand, Jefferson’s impact is second to none, even in a league where Chase is, well, chasing, the wide receiver triple crown. And speaking of triples, Addison has greatly benefited from the triple teams that have been sent Jefferson’s way as of late.
Prior to this most recent stretch, I have to say I viewed Addison as a high-end No. 2 receiver as opposed to a true No. 1 caliber receiver in the second spot. It didn’t feel that Addison was becoming the same sort of 1A that Adam Thielen was for Stefon Diggs. Back in 2018, Thielen and Diggs were both 1,000-yard receivers who each had over 100 receptions on the season, so you could say their workload and output was pretty even. Meanwhile, Jefferson already has 1,170 yards on 75 receptions, while Addison is just over 400 yards behind him with 708 receiving yards on 44 receptions (in two fewer games) thus far this season.
But Addison is now showing that he has the potential to be a true co-star to Jefferson in the same mold as Thielen and Diggs. That doesn’t necessarily have to entail surpassing 100 receptions on the season, but it does mean showing a level of consistency on a game-to-game basis, which is something Addison currently lacks. Earlier in the season, Addison was a boom-or-bust player. He would either have a big game with over 100 yards, or he’d be limited to a couple of catches and have a minimal impact, aside from catching a deep ball here and there.
In order for Addison to truly assert himself and take his game to the next level, he needs to be more reliable in certain situations, like on third downs. That kind of dynamic was present with Diggs and Thielen. Diggs was the flashy star receiver for the Vikings back in the day, but Thielen was the guy who Minnesota’s QBs targeted the most on 3rd & Long because of how dependable and savvy he was at finding soft spots in coverage. Just because Jefferson is the flashy star receiver for Minnesota doesn’t mean Addison can’t assert himself as a reliable presence in the way Thielen was for the Vikings for all those years.
That kind of game-to-game consistency can only be built one game at a time, so for Addison to prove he can come closer to Jefferson’s ceiling, it starts with keeping up this recent stretch of play. He has a touchdown in four of his past six contests, and he has a great chance to make it five of his last seven. The Chicago Bears’ secondary ranks 30th in passing yards allowed, and Addison just torched them for eight catches, 162 yards, and a score. He had a great day on Sunday. Awesome. Do it again. Make no mistake, Addison has the talent to command a more equal target share to Jefferson, but he has to put strong outing after strong outing to ascend to that tier.
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