Kevin O’Connell, the head coach of the Vikings, said that Justin Jefferson was thinking about being day-to-day after hurting his chest.
The Vikings finally got star wide receiver Justin Jefferson back within the lineup on Sunday. He had been out for seven games with a hamstring issue.
But against the Raiders, he only caught two passes before leaving again, this time in a chest injury. At halfway, the Vikings officially called the All-Pro out, and he went to a nearby hospital to be watched some more.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports Lead, head coach Kevin O’Connell said on Monday that Jefferson is “day-to-day.”
After going to the medical tent on the sidelines, Jefferson headed to the locker room to get more tests.
Jefferson moved the ball on both of his early catches, but Raiders back Marcus Epps hit him hard in the middle on the second catch, a 15-yard pass over the middle.
Jefferson, 24, made team history before he suddenly left. With his first catch of the day, he passed Vikings great Randy Moss over the most receiving yards during a player’s first four seasons (5,408).
He missed the last seven games for Minnesota and the Vikings’ bye week because he hurt his leg against the Chiefs in Week 5.
Before that, Jefferson did not miss a single NFL game. He also had more than 1,400 receiving yards in all three of his first seasons, which began in 2020.
Even though Justin Jefferson was in the hospital for a short time, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t ruling out the talented wide receiver from playing this week.
Jefferson finally made it back to his locker room, but the Vikings quickly knocked him out for the rest of the game because he hurt his chest.
Jefferson left the Vikings’ 3-0 win across the Las Vegas Raiders as well as was taken to the hospital in a chest injury on Sunday.
He is now listed as “day-to-day,” which means he could play for the Vikings on Saturday when they play the Cincinnati Bengals.
He caught a 15-yard pass in the middle for the field in the middle of the second quarter in Sunday in Las Vegas.
Almost right away, Raiders back Marcus Epps hit him hard, and he stayed down on the field for a long time.
Jefferson finally made it back to his locker room, but the Vikings soon ruled him out for the remainder of the game because he hurt his chest.
Ed Ingram, a right guard, missed his first game due to a hip injury on Sunday. O’Connell said that Ingram has an opportunity to come back this week.
And then they said he was going to the hospital. But O’Connell said after the game that it looked “like we avoided a major thing there.”
Jefferson went back to Allegiant Stadium prior to the game was over and took the team’s trip home to Minnesota, which are both good signs.
He had two catches for 27 yards before he got hurt. He has played in six games this season and has 598 yards along with three scores. He is 24 years old.
On top of that, Jefferson was playing within the inaugural game back after hurting his leg earlier in the season.
He was taken off of reserve with an injury on November 28, but he didn’t actually come back until after the team’s bye week.
It looks like Mullens would be the best choice, but O’Connell said, “It’s just a matter of talking with the staff and making sure that everyone understands where I want to go with the decision, and then talking with the players.”
O’Connell also said that it is “up in the air” whether defensive end Brian O’Neill (left ankle) or back Alexander Mattison (right ankle) might be able to participate in practices this week.