The Los Angeles Rams have a chance to maintain or even extend their lead in the NFC West when they host the New York Jets in Week 15.
This Sunday will also be a bit of a family reunion in Los Angeles. Rams rookie wide receiver Van Jefferson will be squaring off against his father Shawn Jefferson, who is an assistant head coach/wide receivers coach for New York.
Jefferson’s pedigree coming from a football background has paid some major dividends for the rookie. The time has now come to apply it against the one that showed him how got do it in the first place.
Jefferson is admittedly excited to be able to see his dad after a long 2020 NFL season, per Stu Jackson of the team’s website:
“It’s just another game, but at the same time, I mean, it’s my dad,” Van said during a video conference Thursday. “I haven’t seen my dad in a minute, so it’s going to be cool to see him. But it’s just another game. Just go out there, try to win and that’s pretty much it.”
Jefferson added that while his father may be proud, he is still looking to come away with a win:
“I think my dad, he’s going to be happy, but my dad’s not an emotional kind of person. He’s just happy that I’m out there and I achieved one of my goals in life,” Van said. “I think this is what we both expected. This has been a goal of mine since I was a kid, and he knew that and he supported my dream. So I think just going out there and seeing each other for (the first time in) a long time, of course it’s going to be a good moment. But other than that, it’s just another game. It’s just business. Just go out there and play to the best of our ability and win the game.”
Jefferson’s upbringing and potential he showed at Florida helped make him the 57th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. His comments indicate that the pair have a mutual understanding of what to expect this Sunday.
Jefferson has taken on a minor role within the Rams’ offense with 15 catches for 170 yards and one touchdown so far this season. Of course, this is due to the fact that the receiving corps is already headed by a strong trio in Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Josh Reynolds.
Despite that, it would be hardly surprising to see Jefferson make his presence felt this time around as Sean McVay has made it clear that he wants to get him more involved moving forward.
