Vikings news: Jefferson frustrated, O'Connell speaks on Daniel Jones, Vikes hit 24-year high

Heading into this Thanksgiving Week, the Minnesota Vikings have a lot to be thankful for.

For starters, they survived a scare from the Chicago Bears this past Sunday, coughing up an 11-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation before taking a 30-27 victory in overtime. Blowing said lead obviously wasn't ideal, but the poise they showed in the extra frame was admirable.

Brian Flores' defense, which played beautifully outside of those final two minutes, stepped up and made a stop, and Sam Darnold, who was turnover-free for the first time in a month, was absolutely fantastic in overtime, completing all six of his pass attempts to lead the offense down the field to set up John Parker Romo's game-winning field goal.

With the victory, Minnesota heads into its Week 13 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals riding a four-game winning streak. And while their 9-2 record isn't quite good enough to lead the NFC North — that honor, of course, belongs to the 10-1 Detroit Lions — the Vikings do lead the way in the wild-card race.

Currently holding the No. 5 seed in the NFC, the Vikes are a full game up on the rival Green Bay Packers, who they've already beaten but will see again in Week 17, and three games up in the loss column on the 7-5 Washington Commanders.

So, again, the Vikes have plenty to be thankful for, so let's quickly check in on some news and notes surrounding the team as they enter the final third of this 2024 campaign.

Justin Jefferson was frustrated after his down day against the Bears

The Vikings will always be thankful to have Justin Jefferson, even when he has down games like he did against the Bears, catching a season-low two passes for a season-worst 27 yards.

As a team-first kind of a guy, the three-time Pro Bowler was obviously thrilled that the Vikings walked away with a win. But that doesn't mean Jefferson was happy that he didn't contribute much to the victory.

"I mean, I always want to have an impact on the game, and I always want to create some spark for our team," he told The Minnesota Star Tribune. "Defenders, the way they cover and the way the game goes, it might not happen all the time. So, it’s frustrating at times. But we got the win, and that’s all that matters."

Jefferson faced a lot of double-teams this past Sunday, which isn't out of the ordinary, and even some triple-teams at times. But while he may not have filled the stat sheet, he did open up plenty of opportunities for his teammates, which led to a historic day for the Minnesota offense.

The Vikings achieved a feat not seen in 24 years

With Jefferson stifled, Sam Darnold found other targets to get the ball to en route to his biggest passing day of the year, ultimately completing 22 of 34 passes for a season-high 340 yards.

Jordan Addison stepped up and had the best game of his young career, catching eight passes for 162 yards with a touchdown. On top of that, tight end T.J. Hockenson had his best game since returning to the lineup, recording seven receptions for 114 yards.

Running back Aaron Jones also had a monster day, hitting the 100-yard mark for just the second time this season, rushing for 106 yards on 22 carries.

Add all that up, and the Vikings had a 300-yard passer, two 100-yard receivers, and a 100-yard rusher for the first time in 24 years.

The last time this occurred was on November 19, 2000, in a 31-17 win over the Carolina Panthers. On that day, Daunte Culpepper threw for 357 yards, Cris Carter caught eight passes for 138 yards, Randy Moss caught five passes for 106 yards, and Robert Smith rushed for 103 yards on 23 carries.

Kevin O'Connell comments on Daniel Jones rumors

Since being released by the New York Giants, Daniel Jones has been linked to several teams, one being the Vikings.

Jones, who cleared waivers on Monday, is reportedly wanting to go to a contender to finish out the year before hitting free agency this spring, and Minnesota obviously fits that bill.

Given the rumors, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was naturally asked about the possibility of Jones joining the team during his Monday press conference. And while he mostly dodged the question, O'Connell did have some nice things to say about the former first-rounder.

"I’m not going to really get into that today, but I will say tons of respect for Daniel Jones as a player and a person," O'Connell said.

"I got to know him through the draft process years ago. I’m sure now that he’s a free agent, and there’s probably a ton of league-wide interest in him. Daniel is going to make the decision that’s best for him in his career moving forward. I’m sure he’s working through that process right now. But I really can’t get into too much short-term or long-term. I can just say I’ve been a fan of Daniel’s for a long time and hope wherever his next stop takes him, it’s a good opportunity for him."

Jones is expected to make his decision soon, possibly as early as Tuesday. The Baltimore Ravens are considered the frontrunners to land him, but the Vikings certainly can't be ruled out at this point.