In what has been a full day of news for Minnesota Vikings fans, it appears their star player has dodged a pretty significant front injury bullet.
Multiple reports have surfaced saying that wide receiver Justin Jefferson suffered an ankle sprain in Minnesota’s 23-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon, but he avoided any serious injury and there is still a chance he could play this coming Sunday when the Vikings face the Miami Dolphins at US Bank Stadium.
Jefferson caught two passes on the Vikings’ opening drive against the Buccaneers, the second a screen pass that set up a Will Reichard field goal to give the Vikings their first points of the game. On the play, Jefferson went down awkwardly and went to the blue medical tent, where he was listed as questionable to return with an ankle injury. He remained on the sideline until just before halftime, when he returned to the locker room. He did not return with the team for the second half and was ejected for the game shortly thereafter.
My guess is that we won’t know for sure if Jefferson will play until the final injury reports come out Friday afternoon, but at least we know that, at least for now, it doesn’t appear to be a long-term injury for the Vikings’ star wide receiver. Given the way the Vikings’ offense looked at Raymond James Stadium without him on the field, that can only be seen as a good thing for their prospects moving forward.