Jefferson likens Vikings' vibe to '19 LSU title team

SEATTLE -- The Minnesota Vikings are 13-2, person a clear way to the apical playoff seed successful the NFC and are -- ever truthful somewhat -- starting to consciousness it.

"We're coming together," said receiver Justin Jefferson, whose 2nd touchdown reception Sunday accounted for the last separator successful a 27-24 victory complete the Seattle Seahawks. "Every azygous game, we're uncovering different ways to flooded adversity.

"These adjacent games are what make title teams."

Jefferson, successful fact, has started to spot similarities betwixt this squad and his last play astatine LSU, erstwhile the Tigers won the 2019 nationalist championship. He didn't hesitate erstwhile asked if he thought the 2024 Vikings are besides championship-caliber.

"Oh for sure," he said. "Not conscionable what we're doing retired location connected the field, but the measurement we transportation ourselves, the measurement we dainty each other. ... In 2019 erstwhile I won a title astatine LSU, it was the aforesaid type of vibe. The squad is conscionable together, fighting for 1 different each azygous game. It decidedly feels the same."

Jefferson's sentiments suffice arsenic crowing successful a soft-spoken seasoned locker room that has adopted coach Kevin O'Connell's mantra of "going 1-0 this week."

Thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles' nonaccomplishment Sunday to the Washington Commanders, the Vikings will clinch the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed by going 2-0 complete their last 2 games -- or, successful their parlance, 1-0 followed by different 1-0.

On Sunday, O'Connell would connection only the slightest glimpse into really he views his coalescing team.

After smiling and saying that "you can't spell 2-0 without going 1-0 first," O'Connell turned serious.

"I mean it," he said. "I cognize it's nosy to laughter about. But it is very critical. I deliberation our squad understands really we sewage to this point. It's a mature squad that tin beryllium dangerous, I do believe, if we proceed to conscionable understand what sewage america to this infinitesimal from the first time of training camp."

The Vikings were mostly successful power of Sunday's crippled astatine Lumen Field, wherever they had won only 1 different clip successful franchise history, earlier the Seahawks took a 24-20 lead connected Geno Smith's 4-yard touchdown walk to tight extremity AJ Barner pinch 4:21 remaining.

Quarterback Sam Darnold past led a speedy thrust to regain the lead, pushing done a two-play series erstwhile the artillery battalion connected O'Connell's headset died, forcing Darnold to tally to the sideline for 1 play telephone and past leaving him to telephone his ain play connected another. Then, connected first down pinch 3:51 remaining, Darnold climbed the pocket, saw Jefferson set his way toward the extremity area and deed him for a 39-yard score.

"Absolutely the play of the game," O'Connell said, "and possibly even, considering the infinitesimal and the circumstances, the play arsenic well."

Jefferson vanished pinch 10 catches for 144 yards and now has tied his profession precocious of 10 touchdown receptions successful a season. Darnold, meanwhile, vanished pinch astatine slightest a 100 passer standing for the 12th clip successful his 15 starts, a period that O'Connell said is simply a "very, very important number successful our discourtesy and successful our system, what has go Sam's offense."

Darnold has already group profession highs this play successful astir each statistical category, including yardage (3,776) and touchdown passes (32), and 1 of the fewer things he has near to beryllium successful a career-changing play is whether he tin lead the Vikings connected a heavy playoff run.

"I'm not going to get into what we're tin of," Darnold said. "We cognize precisely what benignant of squad we person and we cognize precisely the benignant of guys we person successful that locker room."

And then, for the fewer that didn't cognize what he was going to opportunity next, Darnold added: "It's conscionable for america to proceed to spell 1-0."