The Minnesota Vikings… have hope? Many expected the team to fall apart after Kirk Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury. It was supposed to be time for them to regroup and plan ahead for next season. However, Josh Dobbs' impressive debut and the state of the NFC right now has Minnesota thinking of a potential playoff push.

With that in mind, the Vikings are eagerly looking forward to see when Justin Jefferson returns. The star wide receiver suffered an injury nearly a month ago, and he's been on the injured reserve list until last Wednesday. Ian Rapoport's latest report reveals some insight on Minnesota's plan regarding the Jefferson situation.

“The #Vikings won't put WR Justin Jefferson on the field until he's ready to come off IR. But perhaps a good sign for next week?Jefferson spent the week jumping in practice drills and was seen sprinting without issue before Saturday's walk-thru. At the very least, he's close.”

The Vikings have opened Jefferson's 21-day practice window on Wednesday. Once they do that, they have those 21 days before fully activating Jefferson. It doesn't seem like the team wants to prematurely open that window. However, based on the recent report, it does feel like they're getting close to getting the star wide receiver back, which is great.

There was a bit of concern that Justin Jefferson could just choose to sit out the rest of the season due to the injury. The Vikings star is in line for a contract extension, and suffering an injury in what was supposed to be a meaningless season could jeopardize that. However, with the playoffs still a real possibility, it seems that both Jefferson and Minnesota are looking to prepare for the playoffs.

The Vikings still have all the tools for a playoff run. Their defense under Brian Flores has been vastly improved, ramping up the aggression against the quarterback. Their offensive line played well with Cousins under center and could give Dobbs enough time. And while it was against the Falcons' middling defense, Dobbs played well given the circumstances he was given. At the very least, they shouldn't be counted out, especially if Justin Jefferson ends up returning from his injury next week.