The Minnesota Vikings have managed to win their last three games after starting the season 1-4, but last week they lost quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season due to a torn Achilles.
Those three wins came without the services of Justin Jefferson, who is arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver and has put up 571 yards and three touchdowns in five games this year.
He has been out with a hamstring ailment, and per Kevin Seifert, head coach Kevin O’Connell said he doesn’t know right now if Jefferson will be available to play next Sunday when the Vikings host the New Orleans Saints.
With Jefferson shelved, rookie wideout Jordan Addison has stepped up — he had seven catches for 82 yards last week in a win over the Green Bay Packers, and the week prior to that, he caught seven balls for 123 yards and two touchdowns versus the San Francisco 49ers.
On the season, he has 482 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and he will likely get some consideration for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
For Minnesota, Jaren Hall, a rookie who was a fifth-round pick in April’s draft, will take over under center.
When he took over for Cousins last Sunday, he completed three of four pass attempts.
Once Jefferson returns, he will make life much easier on Hall, who is a product of Brigham Young University and threw for 3,171 yards and 31 touchdowns while adding four more touchdowns on the ground in his last season there.
But it will still be an uphill climb for the Vikings to make the playoffs, even in a conference that doesn’t have a ton of depth.
