Vikings’ Justin Jefferson has a ‘good chance’ to play against the Bengals on Saturday
Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson has a “good chance” to play Saturday in Cincinnati, head coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday, a day after Jefferson was cleared of major complications at a Las Vegas hospital following a jarring hit that caused a chest injury.
“He’s doing pretty well [Monday],” O’Connell said, “and it’s just a matter of continuing to monitor any potential things that could arise.”
Jefferson, who had two catches for 27 yards, left Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Raiders in the second quarter after taking a hit in the back from safety Marcus Epps. He was transported to an area hospital and underwent screenings that included X-rays. Jefferson had missed the previous seven games with a hamstring strain.
Sprained ankles could further thin the Vikings’ offense moving forward. Right tackle Brian O’Neill and running back Alexander Mattison are recovering from ankle injuries and have similar timelines to return. Neither is expected to be out long, but both could miss Saturday’s game.
“I do think we were able to avoid a real long-term issue for Brian there,” O’Connell said.
Receiver Jalen Nailor, who took a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth quarter, remains in the concussion protocol.
Right guard Ed Ingram could return this week, O’Connell said, after missing the first game of his young NFL career due to a hip injury suffered Nov. 27 against the Bears.
Linebacker Jordan Hicks is “ahead of schedule” after leg surgery as the team maintains hope he could return this season, O’Connell said. Hicks is eligible to play Dec. 24 against the Lions. The 31-year-old team captain said last week he’s intent on playing again after undergoing emergency leg surgery to relieve dangerous pressure from compartment syndrome.
“Jordan is probably ahead of schedule when considering the severity of what we felt in the immediate aftermath of his injury,” O’Connell said. “Where he’s at now is very, very positive, and I think Jordan is getting really close to [practicing].”
‘On our way’ to naming QB
O’Connell didn’t want to publicly announce a starting quarterback Monday afternoon, but he sounded like he had a pretty good idea of which direction he’s headed after pulling Joshua Dobbs for Nick Mullens in Las Vegas. O’Connell praised Mullens in his introductory comments on Monday after he led the game’s only scoring drive. He said there are a lot of people to discuss the decision with before making it public.
“Making sure we go through a full evaluation of all the plays,” O’Connell said. “Then, it’s a matter of just the dialogue with the staff and making sure everybody understands really where I would like to go with the decision — and the communication with the players. … It’s just a little early for me to announce that, but I feel like we’re on our way to making that decision rather shortly here.”
Vikings lead NFL in drops
The Vikings lead the league in one unflattering metric. No team has dropped more passes through Week 14 than the Vikings’ 28, according to Pro Football Focus. They dropped six balls in Las Vegas, tying a season high; they also had six drops in an Oct. 8 loss to the Chiefs.
Much of the damage has come from receiver K.J. Osborn (7 drops), Mattison (6) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (5). Osborn dropped two passes on Sunday, when the Vikings fell below the Browns (27 drops) and Lions (26) for the NFL’s most bumbled targets.
“Guys knew the challenge was to make some of those plays for Josh, and they wanted to,” O’Connell said. “Maybe we were pressing a little bit.”
