The Vikings activated Jefferson on Tuesday and Kevin O’Connell remained noncommittal with his QB situation
You would probably rather eat glass than look for silver linings following the Minnesota Vikings’ miserable 12-10 loss at US Bank Stadium on Monday night but there are some things on their side that make it possible the loss could be merely a body blow rather than a knockout punch. First, that the NFL standings after 12 weeks still include the Vikings as a playoff team. Second, Justin Jefferson is set to return. On Tuesday, the Vikings activated Jefferson following a seven-week absence with a hamstring injury.
Celebration bells for JJ’s return are muted by the grumbles from a meltdown at the hands of the lowly Bears — a tradition that had taken a couple years off but appears to be very much still alive — but it can’t be understated how much Jefferson has meant to the Vikings’ offense over the last few seasons. In case you need a refresher, he’s still only 115 yards behind Jordan Addison for the team’s second leading pass catcher despite having not played since early October.
By Pro-Football Reference’s “success rate” statistic, 64% of plays Jefferson’s way were successful. The next best on the Vikings is 56% (Brandon Powell) and TJ Hockenson at 52%. Additional resume notes on Jefferson include breaking Randy Moss records and landing himself offensive player of the year last year. Oh, and before he got hurt he was averaging more yards per game than 2022.
