Vikings WR Justin Jefferson considered ‘day-to-day’ after chest injury, brief hospitalization

Though Justin Jefferson was briefly hospitalized, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t yet ruling out his star wide receiver this week.

Jefferson, who left the Vikings’ 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and was taken to a hospital with a chest injury Sunday, is being considered day-to-day — meaning he could suit up for the Vikings when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.

“[He’s] day-to-day, hopefully with a good chance of playing with us in Cincinnati,” O’Connell said on Monday, via The Athletic’s Alec Lewis.

Midway through the second quarter on Sunday in Las Vegas, Jefferson caught a 15-yard pass over the middle of the field. He was hit hard almost immediately by Raiders safety Marcus Epps, and remained down on the field for quite some time.

Jefferson eventually made his way back to the locker room, and the Vikings quickly ruled him out with a chest injury the rest of the way. They then announced that he was being transported to the hospital, though O’Connell said after the game that it looked “like we avoided any significant thing there.” Jefferson actually returned to Allegiant Stadium before the end of the game and traveled home to Minnesota with the team, both of which are good signs.

Jefferson had two catches for 27 yards when he went down. The 24-year-old has 598 yards and three touchdowns in six games this season. Jefferson was playing in his first game back from a long hamstring injury he sustained earlier in the season, too. He was activated off of injured reserve Nov. 28, but waited until after the team’s bye week to officially make his return.

The Vikings offense struggled badly against the Raiders. Joshua Dobbs was benched in favor of Nick Mullins in the 3-0 win, though O’Connell declined to name a starting quarterback Monday for their Saturday game with the Bengals. The Vikings sit at 7-6, and are very much in the NFC playoff race. Though Jefferson’s presence on the field could go a long way in ensuring the Vikings make the postseason, the team will need to settle on a quarterback first.