Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson will not return to Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders after leaving in the first half with a chest injury.
The Vikings ruled Jefferson out as the second half got underway in Vegas. So the 24-year-old’s first game back on the field after a two-month absence was cut short. The three-time Pro Bowler caught two early passes against the Raiders—the second of which resulted in a big hit over the middle that forced the wide receiver to exit the game.
Here’s what we know about Jefferson’s injury.
![Justin Jefferson](https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/2321235/justin-jefferson.jpg?w=1200&f=b555cc97a14d02b8d96bdbb731cfa401)
Ian Maule/Getty Images/Getty Images
What Happened to Jefferson?
Jefferson hauled in a contested 15-yard catch with 9:54 remaining in the first half. But he paid the price. The All-Pro leaped into the air to catch a high pass from Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs and was hit hard by Raiders safety Marcus Epps. The play resulted in a Minnesota first down.
But it also marked the end of Jefferson’s day.
Minnesota’s fourth-year wide receiver stayed down on the ground in pain after the hit, grabbing at his midsection. After getting to his feet, Jefferson immediately left the field. His first trip was to the medical tent on the sideline, then the locker room. Jefferson is being transported to an area hospital as a precautionary measure, the team said. He finished the game with two catches, on three targets, for 27 yards while playing 13 snaps, per ESPN.
The Vikings (6-6) and Raiders (5-7) went to halftime tied at zero. Minnesota has lost two games in a row and will fall under .500—and face a difficult road ahead to the playoffs— if its losing streak is extended to three games.
Jefferson’s 2023 Injury Timeline
Jefferson previously suffered a right hamstring injury in Week 5 that forced him to miss seven games. The LSU product spent a stint on injured reserve, though was activated last month and, coming off Minnesota’s Week 13 bye, ready to play against the Raiders.
Injuries have gotten in the way of what could have been a special season for Jefferson.
The 6-foot-1 pass-catcher averaged 135.8 receiving yards per game over the first four weeks of the season. At that pace, Jefferson would have well surpassed Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 receiving yards. But Jefferson still managed to make some history in his brief return to the field on Sunday. The former first-round pick surpassed Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most receiving yards in a player’s first four seasons in team history with a first-half catch against the Raiders, according to the Vikings.
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year had been stuck at 571 yards on the season since his injury. Jefferson’s new goal for the season was to hit the 1,000 mark, he said last week.
With that 12-yard reception, @JJettas2 passes WR Randy Moss for the most receiving yards in a player’s first four seasons in team history.
1. 5,408 Justin Jefferson (2020-23)
2. 5,396 Randy Moss (1998-2001)— Vikings Communications (@VikingsPR) December 10, 2023
Getting there just got even tougher.
Jefferson’s status for next week is currently unclear. And an already frustrating season in Minnesota—which has seen starting quarterback Kirk Cousins tear his Achilles—just keeps snowballing.
“It’s been hard to adjust those goals honestly,” Jefferson said last week, via ESPN. “To have missed seven games throughout the season, especially on the pace that I was going before the injury. It’s a little tough to see Tyreek [Hill] going crazy every single week, to see different people throughout the whole league doing tremendous things. It’s been tough because it’s the first season that I’ve been hurt since I’ve been into the league.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Signup bonus from