Vikings’ Justin Jefferson says ‘it’s always extra’ when he faces Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson didn’t seem to be putting much stock Thursday into seeing former LSU teammates Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow come to town with the Bengals on Sunday.

Maybe it’s because Burrow won’t be playing due to a turf toe injury.

But beyond Jefferson and Chase being former teammates, there’s the added element that the pair are two of the league’s top receivers and young stars. Last season, Chase landed the top spot on the NFL’s receiving charts with 1,708 yards; Jefferson was right behind him with 1,533.

“It’s always extra when you have a player like that that’s top in the league just as well as I am,” Jefferson relented on a second ask. “Of course that competitive aspect is there, but at the end of the day, it’s about our team and it’s about winning.”

Jefferson and Chase were also both among the top five receivers in yards in 2021, when Jefferson was No. 2 and Chase, then a rookie, was No. 4. Those are the only two times Chase has made the cut. Jefferson led the league in 2022 and was No. 4 in 2020.

So far this year, Jefferson (7 catches, 125 yards) sits well outside even the top 10 as the Vikings offense has struggled through two games. Chase sits at No. 7 with 191 yards on 16 receptions.

Some of the Vikings defenders, like cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, are hoping to maybe help close that gap this weekend.

Through two games, second-year defensive lineman Jalen Redmond has played the most snaps (70) behind veterans Javon Hargrave (93) and Jonathan Allen (101).

The Vikings have primarily rotated five D-linemen in Weeks 1 and 2: Allen, Hargrave, Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez and rookie Ty Ingram-Dawkins. Undrafted free agent Elijah Williams also played six defensive snaps in his return from a hamstring injury Sunday night against the Falcons.

Redmond landed his first sack of the season on Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on a second-and-long early in the fourth quarter, matching his total from 2024, when he bounced between the Vikings’ practice squad and active roster.

“He’s played well,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said Tuesday. “From a run-game standpoint, in the pass rush, playing with great energy, strength, power, quickness. A lot of it’s showing up. Consistency, for sure. ... He’s kind of moved into a starting role in some groupings, and I think he’s doing a nice job.”

Redmond has started both games alongside Hargrave and Allen with the Vikings in base defense, which they have run the most this season. He has eight tackles (two for loss) and a QB hurry in addition to his sack.

“It’s like water,” Akers said of returning to a familiar system. “Free-flowing, come in, hit the ground and get rolling. I know pretty much everything. Just hearing it again and doing it.”

He was brought in to add depth into a room that has three players on injured reserve: Aaron Jones (hamstring), Ty Chandler (knee) and fullback C.J. Ham (knee).

He could be activated on game day to add an option behind starter Jordan Mason. The Vikings’ only other running back on the active roster is Zavier Scott, who played his first regular-season pro snaps on special teams Sunday night.

Akers was traded to Minnesota by the Rams in Sept. 2023 and came back via a deal with the Texans in October of last year.

The 26-year-old has 502 career carries for 2,025 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 12 appearances for the Vikings last season, Akers had 64 carries and rushed for 297 yards with a touchdown.