For a moment there, the Minnesota Vikings seemed to have a real scare with Justin Jefferson
. As their fluctuating offense continues to enjoy up-and-down moments, losing Jefferson for any extended period would make their offensive attack even more of a plodding chore. When Jefferson had to leave and never return Sunday's eventual win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an ankle injury, everyone connected to the Vikings held their breath.Fortunately, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell shared a promising anecdote while giving context to Jefferson's status after the game. O'Connell maintained that Jefferson actually "got close a couple times" to coming back into the game because the Vikings didn't think his injury was serious. The Vikings appear
to have held Jefferson out mainly out of precaution, with a long-term perspective and a long season in mind, not because he truly couldn't play. That's an extremely encouraging story that provides color to Jefferson not missing much time, if any.
Crisis averted in Minnesota.
Kevin O’Connell said Justin Jefferson “got close a couple times” to returning from his ankle injury. The Vikings will evaluate it further, but it didn’t sound terribly serious initially.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) September 27, 2026
Through just about 2.5 games this season, Jefferson has 13 catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Or, better said, 38 percent of the Vikings' passing/receiving offense by himself. Needless to say, the Vikings should be over the moon that the four-time All-Pro is OK.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Vikings head coach had an encouraging 5-word update on Justin Jefferson’s ankle injury
