Justin Jefferson's Week 14 return didn’t go the way he or the Minnesota Vikings likely hoped. The Vikings' star wide receiver took the field for the first time in two months on Sunday after missing seven games with a hamstring injury, an exciting prospect for a Minnesota team in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, Jefferson's comeback lasted only 13 plays as the All-Pro had to leave the game in the first half with a chest injury. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons but returned to the stadium and left with the Vikings as they traveled back to Minnesota from Las Vegas, according to Ian Rapoport.
Jefferson caught two passes for 27 receiving yards before exiting the game, an eventual 3-0 Vikings win over the Las Vegas Raiders in what was the lowest-scoring NFL game since 2007. Jefferson was slow to get up after he took a massive hit while securing his second catch of the game, a nice little “welcome back” from Raiders safety Marcus Epps.
Will Jefferson miss time?
Though it is a great sign that Jefferson was able to leave the hospital and return to Minnesota with the team, his status for the Vikings' Week 15 game is far from a guarantee.
Jefferson will have one less day to recover with the Vikings playing on Saturday afternoon, meaning he may have to push it to play. That's not necessarily something the Vikings will be comfortable with, but they should give their star wideout every chance to prove he is good to go for Saturday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Vikings are 7-6 and currently hold the sixth seed in the NFC with four weeks left in the regular season. Minnesota would love to have Justin Jefferson in the lineup, but the Vikings posted a 5-2 record in the seven games he missed and again squeaked out a victory after he left their Week 14 contest.
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