MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Justin Jefferson has hardly been admired more by the Minnesota Vikings than during this season of frustration for their once-potent offense, despite production by the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver that has lagged well behind his remarkable standard.
Helping him hit the 1,000-yard mark — against the rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday — would be at least be a nice parting gift.
“I want to leave this year off with a good note,” said Jefferson, who has the most yards receiving in NFL history over a player's first six seasons.
The Vikings were eliminated from contention for the playoffs before they took the field in Week 15, their earliest exit from the race since 2014, with a predictably rocky debut for quarterback J.J. McCarthy the primary reason. Backups Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer have also taken their turns struggling to keep afloat the down-field passing attack that has revolved around Jefferson since coach Kevin O'Connell his arrival in 2022.
Jefferson's averages of 12.5 yards per reception and 59.2 yards per game are by far career lows, even though he has run his routes as well as ever and stayed healthy all season. But he has lived up to his role as a captain by never complaining, doing his best to encourage the developing McCarthy despite one of his prime years being squandered.
“It means a lot just to go out there and continue to compete, continue to give it my all and just show the effort,” said Jefferson, who needs 53 yards against the Packers to become the third receiver in league history to log 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons after Randy Moss and Mike Evans.
McCarthy, who missed the last game with a hand injury, will make just his 10th career start. His first one against the Packers on Nov. 23, was one of his worst.
“It starts with that offseason work and building that connection and eliminating those habits that he had that we felt hindered him throughout the season,” Jefferson said this week, publicly expressing his desire to have McCarthy as the starter again in 2026. "He still has learning to do and growing to do, so that’s all part of the game, but it’s up to me to require more of him and to work with him more.”
With Jordan Love playing it safe on the sideline after a concussion two weeks ago and backup Malik Willis dealing with injuries, Clayton Tune will start at quarterback for Green Bay.
His only other NFL start came as a rookie in 2023 with Arizona, when he was sacked seven times and threw two interceptions in a 27-0 loss to Cleveland.
“Obviously in practice you try to prepare for the game as much as you can, but once you’re in it for real, that’s when you get the full sense of it,” said Tune, who was a fifth-round draft pick out of Houston. "I’m excited to be in there and trust the training I’ve put in.”
The Packers, who are locked into the last wild-card spot for the NFC playoffs for the third straight time, had a remote chance of bettering the No. 7 seed entering the regular-season finale last year when they lost to Chicago and lost wide receiver Christian Watson to a torn ACL.
With the injuries to vital players taking their toll this season, the Packers can't afford to lose another one and will likely hold more healthy starters out beyond Love. But they would also prefer not to take a fourth straight loss into the playoffs.
According to Sportradar, only three teams in NFL history – the Jets (1986), the Lions (1999) and the Steelers (2024) — have entered the postseason with a four-game losing streak or longer. Only the Jets won their first playoff game from that group.
“That’s what practice is all there for, and I think we’ve done a great job of amping it up this week,” Love said. “Guys have been flying around at practice. We’ve been doing a great job.”
Not only will McCarthy and the Vikings' offense not have to face star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who tore his ACL last month, but the Packers are hurting at cornerback, too.
Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine haven’t played particularly well during this late-season slump, and backups Kamal Hadden and Nate Hobbs went on injured reserve this week.
The Packers claimed Trevon Diggs off waivers from Dallas this week, with the possibility the two-time Pro Bowl pick will play Sunday after just a few days of orientation.
“The same coverages are same coverages,” said Diggs, who led the NFL with 11 interceptions in an All-Pro season in 2021. "It’s just different languages and different terminology. I feel like that’s just going to be the tough part.”
Another option at cornerback for Green Bay could be wide receiver Bo Melton, who has worked on defense in practice this season though all of his game action has been on offense and special teams.
“I’m not going to take any opportunity and make it bigger than what it is — even though it could be, could not be," Melton said. "At the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and be me.”
AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee contributed.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, right, catches a pass past Detroit Lions safety Jalen Mills during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, right, celebrates near Detroit Lions safety Jalen Mills after making a catch for a first down during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota officials have until next week to hand over information on providers and parents who receive federal child care funds that the Trump administration contends have been used fraudulently or risk losing federal funding. State officials said Friday recent inspections showed several childcare centers accused of fraud by a right-wing influencer were “operating as expected.”
In an email sent Friday to child care providers and shared with The Associated Press by multiple providers, Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families said it has until Jan. 9 to provide information about recipients of the funds.
The announcement earlier this week by the Trump administration that it would freeze child care funds to Minnesota and the rest of the states comes after a series of fraud schemes involving government programs in Minnesota run by Somali residents, as were many of the childcare centers.
Allegations of fraud at the child care centers went viral recently when a right-wing influencer posted a video claiming there was fraud taking place, putting Minnesota and some other states in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.
State officials said investigators did spot checks and reviews of nine centers this week in response to the influencer's video posted last week, found no operational issues. One center was not yet open at the time, and there are ongoing investigations at four of them.
The Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides $185 million in child care funds annually to Minnesota, federal officials have said.
The email sent Friday instructed providers and families who rely on the frozen federal child care program to continue the program’s “licensing and certification requirements and practices as usual.” It does not say that recipients themselves need to take any action or provide any information.
“We recognize the alarm and questions this has raised,” the email said. “We found out about the freezing of funds at the same time everyone else did on social media.”
The state agency added that it “did not receive a formal communication from the federal government until late Tuesday night,” which was after Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill posted about the freeze on X. All 50 states will have to provide additional levels of verification and administrative data before they receive more funding from the Child Care and Development Fund, which is designed to make child care affordable for low-income families.
The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing Wednesday to discuss the allegations of fraudulent use of federal funds in Minnesota. An HHS spokesperson said that the child care fraud hotline put up by the federal agency earlier this week has received more than 200 tips.
Minnesota has drawn ire from Republicans and the Trump administration over other fraud accusations.
Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Alex Adams told Fox News on Friday that his agency sent Minnesota a letter last month asking for information on the child care program and other welfare programs by Dec. 26, but didn't get a response. The state did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler posted Thursday on X that the agency suspended 6,900 Minnesota borrowers of COVID-19 era loans because of suspected fraud. Trump has also targeted the state's large Somali community with immigration enforcement actions and called them “garbage.”
Minnesota Democrats say the Trump administration is playing politics and hurting families and children as a result. Minnesota's Department of Children, Youth and Families said in a press release Friday that inspectors conduct regular oversight activities for the child care program, noting that there are 55 related open investigations involving providers.
“DCYF remains committed to fact-based reviews that stop fraud, protect children, support families, and minimize disruption to communities that rely on these essential services," the department said. "Distribution of unvetted or deceptive claims and misuse of tip lines can interfere with investigations, create safety risks for families, providers, and employers, and has contributed to harmful discourse about Minnesota’s immigrant communities.”
Maria Snider, director of a child care center in St. Paul and vice president of advocacy group Minnesota Child Care Association, said providers currently get paid at least three weeks after services are provided. Some 23,000 children and 12,000 families receive funding from the targeted child care program each month on average, according to the state.
“For a lot of centers, we’re already running on a thin margin,” she said. “Even centers where 10 to 15% of their kids are on childcare assistance, that’s a dip in your income.”
Any child who attends a child care center with attendees who receive federal funding could be impacted, Snider said.
According to the Friday email from Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families, HHS sent a letter to Minnesota asking for data from 2022 to 2025, including identifying information of all recipients of the child care funds, a list of all providers who receive the funds, how much they receive and “information related to alleged fraud networks and oversight failures.” It’s unclear whether Minnesota already has the data the administration is asking for.
HHS said five child care centers that receive funds from the child care program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families would have to provide “specific documentation” such as attendance, inspections and assessments, according to the email.
HHS said it would provide Minnesota with more information by Jan. 5, but the state agency wrote that it’s unclear what kinds of funding restrictions it faces.
“Our teams are working hard to analyze the legal, fiscal, and other aspects of this federal action,” the email says. “We do not know the full impact.”
Children watch television at ABC Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
FILE - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, June 12, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
FILE - State Sen. Michelle Benson reacts at a news conference on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul to a report by the state's legislative auditor on combatting fraud in Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski,File)
People gather for a news conference at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Giovanna Dell'Orto)
