Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been sidelined since Week 5 with a hamstring injury. Minnesota opted to place him on injured reserve after the injury occurred against the Kansas City Chiefs, which meant he would have to miss at a minimum, four games.
With his practice window opened last week, Jefferson had 21 days to get onto the field otherwise he would be shifted to the long-term, season-ending IR. After not playing last week against the New Orleans Saints, there is a chance he gets on the field this week against the Denver Broncos.
It is killing Jefferson that he hasn’t been out there with his Vikings teammates. He offered an update on his current status following practice on Thursday, which was the second limited session he has gotten onto the field in a row.
“I want to be on that field more than anything. Competing to win a Super Bowl. It’s tough that I’ve been out for a while now, but I’m ready to get back out there,” Jefferson said via Alec Lewis, a Vikings beat reporter for The Athletic.
The last five games that Jefferson has been out of the lineup for are the first games that he has missed in his NFL career. Despite his absence, the Vikings have rallied together, winning five consecutive games. The last two have also come without starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers.
Kevin O’Connell and his staff deserve a lot of credit for keeping things together, as many teams would have folded given the position the Vikings were in. At 1-4 with their best player heading to the sidelines for at least four weeks, Minnesota looked closer to becoming sellers than making a playoff push.
That push will only get stronger once Jefferson is back in the lineup. If he cannot play this weekend against the Broncos, the next chance for him will be on Monday Night Football in Week 13 when the Vikings host their NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears.
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