Vikings Justin Jefferson is hospitalized following an injury sustained against the Raiders
The Minnesota Vikings waited two months for Justin Jefferson to return to the field. Less than two quarters into his return, the receiver’s health is once again in question. Jefferson took a big hit from Raiders safety Marcus Epps for his second touchdown of the afternoon in the second stanza against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, December 10.
After contact, Jefferson was immediately grabbed at the waist as he writhed on the spot. He got up and made his way to the edge under his own power, but the cameras caught him in pain before he entered the blue medical tent. He eventually returned to the locker room with a team doctor and left the game with two receptions for 27 yards. Minnesota took to social media shortly after Jefferson left to update the All-Pro wide receiver’s game status.
“Justin Jefferson’s (chest) return is questionable,” the Vikings wrote. According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Jefferson was later classified as “passive” and taken to a local hospital “out of an abundance of caution.”
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson suffered a pectoral injury in Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury in the Vikings’ Week 5 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 8.
It was the first major injury of Jefferson’s career, now in his fourth year. A hamstring problem has sidelined the wide receiver for seven games after doctors initially predicted he could miss four to six weeks with the injury.
Minnesota’s bye week followed the team’s last game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 27, and the team elected to sit Jefferson out for that game to give him 13 more days of rehab. An abundance of caution didn’t help Jefferson in his first game in Las Vegas on Sunday, and his absence against the Bears might have cost the Vikings a win two weeks ago. In the end, Chicago won 12-10 against Minneapolis. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs started Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Minnesota quarterback Josh Dobbs’ offense continued against the Raiders as the Vikings failed to score in the first half. Dobbs had four interceptions against the Bears before the game and led the team with 20 points in a loss to the Denver Broncos a week ago.
Jefferson’s absence was certainly felt in the locker room, but it didn’t have disastrous consequences on the field. At least not immediately. In fact, the exact opposite happened, as Minnesota went on a five-game winning streak after Jefferson went down. Dobbs led the way in the last two wins after filling in for Jaren Hall, who suffered a concussion while filling in for the injured Kirk Cousins. The defense has kept the Vikings competitive over the past two and a half games, but Jefferson’s return has looked like an asset to an offense that has struggled significantly over the past 10 quarters. Minnesota also had hopes for a freshman running game with Jefferson returning to starters Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson, but after Jefferson’s recent injury, any hope for the offense is once again in doubt.
