Minnesota Vikings receiver Jauan Jennings was a surprise addition to the injury report this week.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he was dealing with a “personal family matter” when speaking to reporters on Wednesday. He didn’t take part in Thursday’s practice, and O’Connell officially ruled him out for the team’s Week 2 matchup in Chicago today.
“Jauan Jennings is still tending to a personal family matter, and he will be listed as ‘out’ for the football game,” O’Connell said.
We got some key insight into his absence today, and it’s about as devastating of news as you could hear away from the football field. In a post on X, Minnesota Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling reported that he is dealing with the loss of a close family member.
Prayers Go Out To Jauan Jennings And His Family
We still don’t know who in Jennings’ family has passed away, and it’ll be completely up to him whether he wants to share that with the media when he’s back at the facility. It’s safe to assume that it is a devastating loss based on the fact that he won’t be in action for Sunday’s game.
It’s always difficult to lose a family member, and fans should have full respect for his privacy and give him space to grieve. That was surely what Kevin O’Connell and Co. did this week, as he’s been away from practice.
Hopefully he’ll be able to return to practice next week, but some things are bigger than football. Losing a close family member is certainly near the top of that list.
The Vikings Are Extremely Short-Handed On Offense Right Now
Aside from Jennings dealing with a devastating situation at home, the Vikings will also be without a few other key starters against the Bears. The most significant of which would obviously be the injury to quarterback Kyler Murray, who is still working his way through concussion protocol.
On the bright side, Murray is seemingly well ahead of schedule in that regard. O’Connell expressed optimism that he should be back next week for their Week 3 clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Kyler showed a lot of progress. He’s doing well,” O’Connell said. “Felt good this week working through it, but he will be out Sunday. Fully anticipate him clearing the protocol early next week with the progress he’s made.”
Minnesota will also miss their co-starting running back, Jordan Mason, who landed on short-term IR earlier this week with a thumb injury. The status of starting right tackle Brian O’Neill is also up in the air, as he is listed as questionable with a knee injury.
The Vikings might need to score a lot of points to keep up with Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears‘ high-octane offense. They’ll be relying heavily on a few backups on the offensive side of the ball to do it.
Vikings WR Jauan Jennings Ruled Out Of Week 2 Game With Devastating News