MINNEAPOLIS -- At halftime Sunday, Sammy White figured his record was toast.
White, a Minnesota Vikings wide receiver from 1976-1985, set the team mark of 210 yards receiving in a game on Nov. 7, 1976, against Detroit. And he was watching on television at his home in Monroe, La., when Justin Jefferson rolled up 158 yards on six catches in the first half against Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“I thought he had (the record),’’ for sure,’’ White said Monday in a phone interview. “You get up to 158 and it looked like 210 should be easy. That’s a 300-yard game. That puts you on shaky ground.’’
The Vikings, though, had a 17-0 halftime lead and went on to win 23-7. Having that comfortable lead, they mostly ran the ball in the second half and Jefferson finished with nine catches for a career-high 184 yards.
But it was Jefferson’s fifth career game of 150 or more yards receiving in his three seasons. So White figures his record might not last long.
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“I don’t see it standing when you’ve got somebody that explosive,’’ White said.
But White will be rooting for Jefferson to get the mark. White, who was born in Winnsboro, pointed out that Jefferson, born in the New Orleans suburb of St. Rose, is a fellow Louisiana native, and he has had the chance to meet the young star.
“I’ll be the first one to congratulate him,’’ White said about if Jefferson sets the record. “I’m always going to root for him to have a great game.”
As much as White likes Jefferson, White was surprised at the Packers’ shaky defense, which resulted in him often being wide open in the first half. The half featured Jefferson having touchdown receptions of 5 and 36 yards.
“I thought for the most part (Sunday) our guys did a really nice job of taking advantage of some things where I didn’t think it was schematically something wrong that Green Bay did, but just within our rhythm and timing and how we put together plays,’’ Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday.
Cine debut likely Monday
Rookie safety Lewis Cine sat out Sunday with a knee injury, but is expected to make his NFL debut next Monday at Philadelphia.
“Lew Cine should be somebody we expect to get back this week,’’ O’Connell said of the No. 32 pick in the first round. “Lew is kind of chomping at the bit to get going. He’s done everything we’ve asked from a rehab standpoint. We’ll see what his practice schedule looks like, but we’re expecting to hopefully have Lew.”
The news is not as encouraging on cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., a second-round pick. Booth suffered a quad injury against the Packers and it’s uncertain if he will play against the Eagles.
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“(It’s a) soft tissue type of deal,’’ O’Connell said. “It’s something we’re still evaluating, trying to see what his weekly schedule is going to be like to maybe see if we can give him a shot to be ready to go with the extra day this week. Definitely not a long-term thing.”
Briefly
- Receiver Adam Thielen said Sunday’s resounding win hasn’t necessarily increased the Vikings’ expectations but will make them focus even more. “What it does is it makes you hone in a little bit more this week,’’ he said. “You realize, yes, is it a great win? Absolutely. But teams are going to start putting a target on our backs.” Thielen said teams sometimes get “complacent” after a big win, but he doesn’t believe that will happen with the Vikings since they will evaluate film the same as if they lost.
- O’Connell discussed some things he can do better following his regular-season debut as a head coach. “One of the things that I think I can do better moving forward is when the defense is out there, I’ve got to be in certain locations on the field to have an impact with the refs and timeouts and things like that,’’ said O’Connell, who calls the offensive plays. “I can’t just spend 10 minutes over there talking to (quarterback) Kirk (Cousins) or talking to (offensive coordinator) Wes (Phillips).”
- O’Connell was generally pleased with the play Sunday of rookie right guard Ed Ingram even though he gave up an early sack to Rashan Gary. “He really ascended as the game went on, and then ultimately, there’s a lot to correct,’’ he said. Overall, O’Connell said that Ingram “battled.”
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