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The star receivers official status won’t be known until minutes before kickoff of Monday night’s NFC North showdown with Chicago.
The Minnesota Vikings are gearing up for a Monday Night Football matchup against their division rival Chicago Bears — and may once again be without one of their key weapons for the matchup. Despite voicing optimism Thursday that he might play in the game, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was officially listed as questionable on the team’s injury report Friday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Jefferson has missed six consecutive games with a right hamstring strain. The star pass catcher suffered the injury in the team’s Week 5 27-20 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Reports indicate the team is unlikely to decide Jefferson’s availability until as late as pregame warmups. Jefferson recently shut down his social media accounts because of a backlash from fans regarding his injury.
Now in his third NFL season, the 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year was selected by Minnesota out of LSU in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. Despite his short tenure, Jefferson ranks an impressive 29th among all active NFL pass catchers with 5,396 receiving yards. He has been elected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three NFL Seasons, an honor he’s unlikely to achieve this year due to extended time on the Vikings injury list.
The 6-5 Vikings are treading water in the NFC Playoff picture, where they maintain the sixth seed over the Seattle Seahawks, who are also 6-5. The Vikings may opt to continue to exercise caution with their prized offensive weapon as the team’s bye week follows Monday night’s matchup.
The Vikings then face the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals on the road, followed by three division games to wrap up the regular season. Two of those games are against the NFC-leading Detroit Lions, with a home matchup against the Green Bay Packers sandwiched in between.
