EAGAN, Minn. -- When we last saw Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, he was walking off the field at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a member of one of the NFL's final two unbeaten teams. He wasn't as happy about it as you might think.
Jefferson had caught six passes for 92 yards in the 23-17 Week 5 victory over the New York Jets, but it required 14 targets to do it -- the eight incomplete passes tied for the most thrown his way in a game during his career.
In a dour postgame interview with NFL Network, Jefferson thanked the Vikings' defense for securing the victory. Later, after reflecting on a game in which the Vikings' offense scored one touchdown and produced a season-low 253 yards, Jefferson said flatly: "We definitely need to fix some things."
That backdrop will provide an important subplot to Sunday's massive NFC North matchup against the 4-1 Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS). If there is any team for Jefferson and the Vikings' offense to "get well" against, it's the Lions, whom they typically torch with their passing game. Since 2021, when the Lions hired coach Dan Campbell, the Vikings have averaged 327.7 passing yards in their biannual matchups.
Jefferson has had some of his best games against the Lions and has totaled 1,037 receiving yards in eight career outings. That's the most by anyone in NFL history against one team in eight games, according to ESPN Research.
Those games have not always led to wins, however. The Lions have defeated the Vikings in four of the past five games, even while giving up 182, 223, 141 and 192 receiving yards, respectively, to Jefferson in those victories.
The Lions, meanwhile, revamped their secondary this year. But in the most successful game they've ever had against Jefferson, they resorted to taking penalties to slow him down.
That came in Week 3 of the 2022 season, when Jefferson caught just three passes for 14 yards as the Lions' defense was flagged eight times for either pass interference, illegal contact or defensive holding. Fellow Vikings receivers K.J. Osborn and Adam Thielen picked up the slack, combining for 10 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-25 victory.
The Jets took a similar approach to defending Jefferson in London earlier this month, playing physically enough at the line of scrimmage and during routes that they were flagged five times for pass interference, illegal contact or defensive holding against Vikings receivers.
The Lions have a pair of new cornerbacks after trading for Carlton Davis III and making Terrion Arnold a first-round draft choice, but their physical style remains. They lead the NFL this season in penalties for defensive pass interference (10) and defensive holding (five).
"I don't feel like any team can really take me out of a game," Jefferson said in London. "The [Jets] had a couple holding penalties and a couple bracket coverages or a safety over the top. That's going to happen every single week.
"I always try to prepare myself to go through those tough games where I'm getting held or I'm getting doubled and I've still got to get open. It's my job to get open and make plays for this team. So every single time I'm out there on that field, no matter how they're guarding me, no matter how they're holding me, I try to make the most of those opportunities."
The Vikings can and will take measures to get Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings' receivers away from direct contact with pass defenders. They have used pre-snap motion on 77.8% of their pass plays this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL.
Lining up multiple receivers in stacks and bunches can also make it more difficult for defenders to get their hands on receivers early in routes. Another tactic is to ensure what offensive coordinator Wes Phillips termed "timely snapping" to ensure that defenders aren't able to reset and step up to the line of scrimmage to get physical before the play begins.
"There are some things that we can do to help them," Phillips said, "but you can't move all the guys at once."
There will be at least some plays Sunday when Jefferson and fellow receivers Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor will simply need to beat physical coverage strategies. Officials won't throw flags on every play and, in Sunday's case, referee Clay Martins' crew has totaled six combined penalties for pass interference, illegal contact or defensive holding in five games. All three penalties are automatic first downs, but the latter two lead only to a 5-yard mark-off. (Pass interference is a spot foul.)
"We can't ever assume that it's going to be called," Phillips said. "This group that we're playing, their style is to really get up and challenge you, and you know it's going to be a physical matchup at the receiver position at all the spots. You can't put it on [officials]. You have to work your technique, work your releases, and if you get calls, you get them. Sometimes you will, and sometimes you won't.
"A lot of the guys that coach this type of aggressive philosophy, they understand that they're going to throw a flag here and there, but they're probably not going to throw it every time. They're probably going to live and die by that technique and philosophy, and we have to do everything we can to counteract it."