With their 2023 regular season hanging in the balance, the Las Vegas Raiders will play host to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14 inside Allegiant Stadium. With both teams coming off a bye week, it was a time to get healthy, and at least for Minnesota, that was certainly the case.
During their bye week, Justin Jefferson came off injured reserve, and he will be good to go to face this upstart Las Vegas Raiders secondary. Since coming into the NFL, Jefferson has emerged as one of the best in the game, but the Raiders will counter the talent of Jefferson with one of the best wide receivers in NFL history in Davante Adams.
Adams has been outstanding since joining the Raiders despite playing with five different starting quarterbacks in Derek Carr, Jarrett Stidham, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer, and Aidan O'Connell. Despite the revolving chair at quarterback, Adams has appeared in all 19 games and racked up over 2,300 yards and 18 touchdowns.
If the Raiders are to win on Sunday, he needs to have a monster game against a tough Vikings secondary.
Raiders must keep Jefferson's impact to a minimum in Week 14
The return of Jefferson is huge for Joshua Dobbs, who is likely getting his last chance to nail down the starting quarterback job the rest of the way. Dobbs has struggled in a big way over his last two games, both Vikings losses, but he was trying to get the job done without one of the premier playmakers in the NFL.
Sure, Dobbs played well early on for the Vikings without Jefferson, but his return will have an immediate impact on what Minnesota does on the offensive side of the ball. The Raiders secondary has been better this season, but it has also been inconsistent, so Jefferson could be in line for a monster game in his return on Sunday.
Jefferson vs Adams will be must-see television in Week 14, and it will all depend on which quarterback, Dobbs or O'Connell can get the job done in a must-win game for both franchises.