Justin Jefferson has made an astonishing start to his NFL career, and now has two individual awards to his name in his opening three seasons after being named Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday.
Jefferson claimed the award after reaching new heights in terms of receiving yards, racking up a league-high 1,809 yards and hauling in eight touchdown catches.
It marked his third successive season with at least 1,400 yards, having reached that tally in a record-breaking rookie season, which saw him win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He followed that with 1,616 receiving yards in 2021, before helping the Vikings return to the playoffs in the 2022 campaign with yet another outstanding year.
The Vikings lost to the New York Giants in the Wild Card round, but Jefferson will have silverware with which to remember his superb season.
Jefferson's 4,825 receiving yards since 2020 are nearly 400 more than his nearest challenger, Davante Adams (4,443), and he will hope that 2023 is the year the Vikings can make sure his production translates into a season that ends with him spending Super Bowl week preparing for the game.
Jets fire coach Saleh after starting season 2-3
The New York Jets have seen enough of Robert Saleh as coach of the team.
The Jets decided to fire Saleh on Tuesday after the team opened the 2024 season 2-3.
Saleh, 45, took over as coach of the Jets in 2021, and went 20-36 in his three-plus seasons at the helm.
He will be replaced by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who will serve as the interim coach.
This is the first time Woody Johnson has fired a coach mid-season during his 25 years as the team's owner.
The decision to fire Saleh came two days after the Jets managed just 254 yards in Sunday's 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
New York has scored two offensive touchdowns in its last two games and has been held to fewer than 275 yards in four of five games this season.
Aaron Rodgers has struggled early in his return from a torn left Achilles tendon, and it's been reported Saleh had a rocky relationship with the veteran quarterback.
Saleh took issue with Rodgers' cadence following a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, and in New York's win over the New England Patriots in Week 3, Saleh attempted to give Rodgers a hug on the side-line, but the 40-year-old QB appeared to push him away.
The Jets, who have the NFL's longest active play-off drought at 13 seasons, next play Monday at home against the Bills, and they can move into a tie with Buffalo atop the AFC East with a win.
'The band is back together' – Smith-Schuster and Hunt help Chiefs stay perfect
JuJu Smith-Schuster declared "the band is back together" after helping the Kansas City Chiefs stay perfect for the season with Monday's 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Smith-Schuster had seven catches for 130 yards as the Chiefs overcame the absence of injured receiver Rashee Rice to make their first 5-0 start since 2018 – the team's first campaign with Patrick Mahomes as their starting quarterback.
Kareem Hunt also excelled, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown – his first score for the Chiefs since they released him six years ago, before bringing him back last month.
Smith-Schuster, meanwhile, returned to the team in August, having played a key role in their 2022 Super Bowl-winning season.
Speaking after the victory, the former second-round draft pick said: "It's pretty cool getting the guys back. I'd say it's like the band is back together."
The Chiefs are one of just two teams, alongside the Minnesota Vikings, to boast a 100% record for the season.
Quarterback Mahomes hailed the impact of both Smith-Schuster and Hunt after their latest win, comparing the former to his favourite target, tight end Travis Kelce.
"It's a credit to not only the guys and how hard they work, but coach [Andy] Reid and just knowing their skill sets and how to put them in great positions," Mahomes said.
"Kareem just runs extremely hard. He gets every yard out there, catches the ball, does whatever it takes in order to go out there and win.
"[Smith-Schuster] fits in well in this offense and so he did a great job today. It was cool to get those guys going.
"Trav is kind of one of a kind, but he [Smith-Schuster] has a good feel for the entire concept of the play and so he knows how to get into the open spots.
"He did a good job today of beating man when they played man and finding windows to get big catches."
NFL: Champion Chiefs down Saints, move to 5-0
Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards, Kareem Hunt rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, and the Kansas City Chiefs remained unbeaten with Monday's 26-13 win over the scuffling New Orleans Saints.
The reigning two-time Super Bowl champions also got four field goals from Harrison Butker and a rushing touchdown from rookie Xavier Worthy to join the Minnesota Vikings as the only teams to start this season 5-0. It's the first time the Chiefs have won their first five games in a campaign since 2018, Mahomes' first season as the team's starting quarterback.
New Orleans has now lost three straight following a 2-0 start and had starting quarterback Derek Carr exit in the fourth quarter with an oblique injury.
Carr threw touchdown passes to Rashid Shaheed and Foster Moreau before departing, but was held to 165 yards on 18-of-28 passing. The Saints managed just 220 total yards against a Kansas City defence that also intercepted Carr on the game's opening possession to stop a drive inside Chiefs' territory.
The Chiefs marched 78 yards in 10 plays following the turnover to take a 7-0 lead on Hunt's 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. They extended the margin to 10-0 on Butker's 26-yard field goal early in the second.
Shaheed hauled in Carr's deep pass for a 43-yard touchdown to get New Orleans on the board with 8:36 left before half-time, but two more Butker field goals sent Kansas City into the break owning a 16-7 advantage.
The Saints closed the gap again early in the fourth quarter, as Carr capped an 8-play, 65-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Moreau with 14:16 remaining. Kicker Blake Grupe missed the extra-point try, however, to keep the Chiefs' lead at 16-13.
Kansas City responded on the ensuing possession, though. A 50-yard completion from Mahomes to JuJu Smith-Schuster moved the Chiefs deep into New Orleans territory, and Worthy slithered into the end zone from three yards out on a hand-off three plays later to push Kansas City's lead to 23-13 with under 12 minutes to go.
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