After getting struck in the chest during Sunday’s 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was transported to a hospital. However, he later made his way back to Allegiant Stadium and took a plane home with the team.
Feel fairly encouraged by Justin’s early news,” head coach Kevin O’Connell remarked. “We’ll have to see on a short week how’s able to turn over from this.”
After Jefferson was hurt in the second quarter, according to O’Connell, he had X-rays taken to make sure there was no internal damage.
“I thought the doctors did a great job of doing what they should in the moment, which is making sure we avoid some potentially serious things,” O’Connell stated. “From what I’ve been told, it looks like we avoided any significant thing there.”
The 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Jefferson, went high to catch a 15-yard throw and absorbed a shot from safety Marcus Epps. The hit on a helpless receiver went unnoticed.
Jefferson had missed the previous seven games due to a hamstring injury; this was his first game back.
O’Connell stated he was “extremely disappointed for (Jefferson) just knowing how much it meant to him to get back out on the field,” but he did not discuss whether a penalty should have been called. It was evident on the play that it occurred on—a crucial third-down play, a high throw over the middle—and he made the play.
