Justin Jefferson’s week is starting the same way it ended: on the sideline.
The Vikings star wide receiver was not seen during the open portion of Thursday’s practice, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, marking a second straight missed session as Minnesota works through his ankle injury. Jefferson also sat out Wednesday after getting hurt in last Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jefferson exited the Week 3 game after the opening series and never came back. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said the 27-year-old did not suffer a significant injury and is being handled day to day.
"He’s feeling a little bit better, but not in any place right now to talk about what that means for the weekend. I know we were encouraged about what it actually is.
Now it’s just about working through it," O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday. "We'll try to get him to a place where he can go, and we'll see as the week goes on."
O'Connell also made clear the Vikings aren’t interested in forcing the issue, even if Jefferson is one of those players who usually doesn’t need a full week of practice to suit up.
"It's such a long season. We ask so much out of him, and he's such a competitor that we'll be smart about it," O'Connell said. "He's got to get to a certain place where we feel like he can go be himself."
Jefferson has 179 yards through three games this season as he goes after a seventh straight 1,000-yard year. He also scored two touchdowns in Minnesota’s Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If Jefferson can’t go, it would be a major hit for a Vikings offense that sits last in the league. Still, Minnesota is one of only two undefeated NFC teams, and with the winless Dolphins coming to town in Week 4, the Vikings may be even more inclined to take the cautious route with their top target.
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For Vikings fans, that naturally brings the trade back into focus. McCarthys college success came in a system that did not ask him to carry much of the passing load, and his time in Minnesota showed how difficult that transition could be when the offense asked for more. If the Giants are already shaping their offense around those concerns, it only sharpens the question of what the Vikings believed they had, and why they were willing to move on when they did. [Read more 🡒]