The Minnesota Vikings came away with a 23-16 win in Week 3 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 27 at Raymond James Stadium. Moreover, the Vikings moved to 3-0 without having Justin Jefferson on the field, as he left the game in the first half with an ankle injury.
Initially, he was ruled questionable but didn’t return. With Jefferson out, Jordan Addison elevated his game, recording five receptions on nine targets for 90 receiving yards and one touchdown.
After the win over Tampa Bay, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media and shared an injury update on Jefferson.
“It was an ankle for him,” O’Connell told reporters postgame. “He kept trying to work through it, got close a couple of times, ended up being ruled out. We’ll evaluate him more [on Sept. 28]. I don’t believe [it’s severe]. I just know that he was pretty close to coming back in. [Jefferson] just couldn’t get there.
“He’s such an explosive player, and the way he gets defended, he needs to be able to have those, getting off the line, press, all those things. He just couldn’t quite get there. I know he was trying like crazy, and it was killing him not to get back out there.”
Before leaving the game, it looked as though Jefferson was heading toward a strong performance, recording two catches for 32 yards with his longest catch being a 22-yard reception. Nonetheless, the question is whether the Vikings can count on him in Week 4 against the 0-3 Miami Dolphins.
How Vikings Offense Looked Without Justin Jefferson
Meanwhile, O’Connell shared his thoughts on the Vikings offense without Jefferson, noting positives and areas they need to improve, especially if their star wideout can’t go next weekend against Miami.
“[The Buccaneers defense] made some adjustments when Justin went out and started playing us a little differently,” O’Connell added. “We made them pay on a couple plays there when we got our touchdown. Nice, long completions to [Addison]. I thought we had another one on a third down where we kind of got the safety to tie down, [and we] had a chance to maybe ring the bell again.
“It was that kind of game where you were going to need to make some plays. I thought we had T.J. down the sideline and a big grouping on another one. We were just a little off. I think that’s all of us. It’s not any one particular player. We’ve all got to pick up the slack when you lose your best.”
Kevin O’Connell on Kyler Murray’s Week 3 Performance
As for Murray, the Vikings starter went 15-for-29 on his pass attempts for 168 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 66.5. After the game, O’Connell assessed what he saw from Murray in his first full regular-season game.
“Kyler had a really good week of preparation,” O’Connell said. “He applied some of those things in the game, and I think, just like Kyler, just like the rest of our offense, we’ll continue to ascend. We’re navigating some things right now, but I think we’re going to be better.
“We’ve navigated some things right now and navigated some in-game things today, but that’s football. We’ve done that for four-plus years now. I like the way that we were able to, outside of that tipped ball, protect the football, not put it in harm’s way, and find a way to make enough plays.”
Vikings Announce Justin Jefferson Injury Update After Week 3 Win