The Minnesota Vikings didn’t have wide receiver Justin Jefferson on the field in Week 4 versus the Miami Dolphins. But Jefferson could return next Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
After Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell stopped short of saying the WR1 would definitely return. But O’Connell stated the team’s goal is to see if he can play despite the fact Minnesota has a bye week looming the following week.
“I know he made great progress last week. We’re going to allow that to be a medical thing from the standpoint of if he’s able to start getting some limited work in,” O’Connell said to reporters. “We’ll see how he does throughout the week.
“I don’t have any real projection on if we’ll have him or not. I think it’s important to go into the week open minded. He’s so impactful and so important to us. But at the same time, we want to get him back to 100%.”
Without Jefferson on Sunday, the Vikings defeated the Dolphins 15-10 to improve to 4-0. Minnesota knocked off Miami despite not scoring a touchdown.
Will Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Return for Week 5 vs. Saints?
It’s pretty obvious the Vikings would like to have Jefferson back as soon as possible. The wideout is a perennial candidate to lead the league in receptions, receiving yards or touchdowns — or really all three categories.
But the Vikings are approaching an intriguing stretch in their schedule. After facing the Saints, Minnesota will have a bye week.
So if the team holds Jefferson out one more game, then he could have two weeks off before Minnesota’s next game. That’s on October 25 versus the Indianapolis Colts.
When asked about the timing of the bye week, though, O’Connell clearly stated that it won’t play a role. Instead, the Vikings will rely on Jefferson’s practice participation and the direction of the medical staff to determine if he will play in Week 5.
Jefferson missed Sunday’s contest versus the Dolphins because of a sprained left ankle, which he sustained in the first quarter of Week 4 on September 27. The veteran wideout didn’t practice at all this past week. The Vikings ruled him out for Sunday’s game on Friday.
Minnesota Passing Game Without Jefferson in Week 4
Unsurprisingly, the Vikings offense really appeared to miss Jefferson for the first three quarters. But in the final 15 minutes, quarterback Kyler Murray repeatedly targeting veteran tight end T.J. Hockenson.
In the fourth quarter alone, Hockenson hauled in seven catches for 65 yards. That was more yardage than any other Vikings pass-catcher in the entire game.
Overall, Hockenson finished with 13 targets, catching all of them, for 119 yards. The tight end could have scored on his final reception, but he fell down intentionally at the 2-yard line, so the Vikings didn’t have to give the ball back to the Dolphins.
Hockenson obviously isn’t a direct replacement for Jefferson because they play different positions. But Murray found the tight end enough in Jefferson’s absence for the Vikings to edge the Dolphins.
At receiver, Jordan Addison led Minnesota with four catches and 52 receiving yards. He hauled in a 27-yard reception for the team’s longest passing play of the evening.
Fellow wideout Tai Felton and Jauan Jennings each had one catch in Jefferson’s absence.
Justin Jefferson Injury Update: Vikings HC Hints at Potential Return