MINNEAPOLIS – Justin Jefferson appears ready for his biggest game of the season with the LA Rams, and on a national level.

Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings don't have much time to mourn their first loss of the season. They are on the road to take on the Rams on Thursday Night Football. Jefferson has had one 100-yard game this season, a Week 2 win against the San Francisco 49ers, where he had four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown. He is ready for that to change.

“It’s right there. I'm definitely tired of these 80, 90 yard games. I definitely have to get over that 100 yard hump, that's definitely my plan. When you watch it on video, the explosive plays are all over the field, not just me,” Jefferson said. “It's going to be one of those games where we're going to show the world what we're really capable of. Hopefully it's Thursday night .”

Why it matters

Jefferson has 29 career 100-yard games in 66 starts. His single-game career high is 223 yards with the Detroit Lions in Week 13 of 2022.

If you ask Jefferson, the Vikings should be on national television by now. Their 5-1 start is evidence that most outside the TCO Performance Center thought it would be a difficult season from a record standpoint. They are now one of the best teams in the NFC.

“I was ready, honestly we feel like we should have been put on that platform already. We need to wake some people up,” Jefferson said. “We have to be the team that no one expects to be good and no one expects us to be the team we are today.”

Darnold downplays the return to California

Sam Darnold has already played against two of his former teams this season: the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets. This week, the California native and former USC star heads back home to face the LA Rams. However, he is flooded with ticket requests.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he largely downplayed the game, although he did help lead the Vikings to a 5-1 start. He has 12 touchdowns and just five interceptions in six starts.

“We are looking forward to playing football. I'm always happy to just go out and play football with my teammates. Other than that, it’s another game, another great opportunity,” Darnold said. “I think for us it's just next thing, that's our mentality, that's how it's been all year. The nice thing about a short week is that you don’t have a lot of time to think about narrative.”