Justin Jefferson To Be Reevaluated After Injury Against Buccaneers

Minnesota Vikings star WR Justin Jefferson was injured on Sunday in their 23-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He left the game early with an ankle injury and did not return to the game. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said in his press conference that the injury would be reevaluated upon Jefferson’s return to Minnesota. Hardly any speculation has come from the coach’s comments, with very little being given to the media on the severity of the injury or a timetable for how long the receiver could be out, if at all.

The comments O’Connell did give were positive, if anything, saying he was “close to coming back in.” This is good news for Vikings fans, but similar words were mentioned about New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart last week, who has since been ruled out for the season.

Despite their 3-0 start, the Vikings statistically have struggled on offense, with one of their wins coming with just nine points.

Receiver Jordan Addison stepped up for the Vikings after Jefferson departed, but there is doubt that the team can consistently produce without their best player, meaning any time that Jefferson misses could be costly.

Kyler Murray played his first full game with the team after recovering from a concussion he suffered in Week 1. Murray had 168 yards and a touchdown to go along with one interception as well in the win.

If Jefferson does miss time, the Vikings will need multiple receivers to up their level. Jauan Jennings is another receiver that could get more targets in the coming weeks if Jefferson is out, as he usually is the third option but could get split targets with Addison if they cover him more heavily than normal.

The Vikings play the NFL’s worst team, the Miami Dolphins, next week, so if Jefferson is to miss time or the team wants to err on the side of caution, the scheduling makes it much more doable.