As he celebrated his touchdown on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson provided a moment that won’t soon be forgotten.

He sought out a camera in the end zone, formed his hands into the shape of a heart, and delivered a message in front of a national audience, speaking on behalf of pretty much every Minnesotan across the state in the process.

“WE LOVE YOU RANDY!”

It will forever serve as the lasting image from the game itself.

As impressive as the Vikings looked in a 30-12 win over the Chicago Bears, the topic of conversation in the immediate aftermath centered on hall of fame receiver Randy Moss and his fight against cancer.

This was the first time the Vikings have played a game since Moss shared that his doctors found a cancerous mass in his bile duct, between his pancreas and his liver, and that he underwent a procedure to remove it. He made the announcement last week via Instagram Live, proudly proclaiming, “Your boy is a cancer survivor.”

After hearing the news last week, Jefferson sent a text message to Moss, wishing him good luck and promising to keep him in his prayers. He also made a vow to himself to honor his hero if he got the opportunity to do so.

“I’m grateful for what he has done for this game,” Jefferson said while rocking a No. 84 jersey after the game. “I’ve always got to show love to him.”

Though he wasn’t present for Monday Night Football, Moss certainly had a presence in primetime.

In addition to Jefferson giving Moss his flowers after scoring a touchdown, former teammate Cris Carter and former teammate Jake Reed held up a No. 84 jersey while serving as honorary captains during the coin toss.

The home crowd reacted accordingly with “RANDY! RANDY! RANDY!” chants echoing so loud in Minneapolis that they might have been heard in St. Paul.

“We were thinking what we were going to do,” Carter said while being interviewed on the field during the game. “We decided to hold it up because he has meant so much to both of us as far as our football lives are concerned.”

The foundation that Moss, Carter and Reed laid isn’t something that Jefferson takes lightly as he tries to carry on their legacy a couple of decades later.

“They were brothers when they were playing and still are,” Jefferson said. “It’s great to see the amount of love they still have for each other.”

None of that was lost on head coach Kevin O’Connell as he reflected on getting to be a part of the experience.

“You could feel the love for him in the building,” O’Connell said “He means the world to this organization.”

As a former teammate of his during their time together with the New England Patriots, O’Connell has gained an even deeper understanding of how much Moss meant to the Vikings, in particular, since he arrived in Minnesota.

That’s a big reason why O’Connell thought it would be a good idea to have Carter and Reed serve as honorary captains in the first place. It was a chance to show Moss that the Vikings past, present, and future are behind him every step of the way as he continues his fight against cancer.

“We just wanted to do whatever we could with the platform on Monday Night Football,” O’Connell said. “Hopefully he was watching, and if it gave him any joy at all, it was well worth it, because that’s how we feel about him.”

He was indeed watching. That was made clear shortly after the Vikings posted a video of Carter and Reed holding up the No. 84 jersey during the coin toss. As a way to show his appreciation, Moss reposted the video with the caption, “LUV U ALL!”

The feelings are reciprocated. There’s no doubt about that.

Former Minnesota Vikings Jake Reed, left, and Cris Carter hold up a Randy Moss Jersey prior to a game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 16, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
ESPN Monday Night Countdown personality Randy Moss stands on the field before an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, Monday, Dec. 23, 2019, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)

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