Vikings Activate Justin Jefferson from IR
Josh Frey
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Over the past couple days, the updates on Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson have come in fast and furious.
Jefferson, of course, was ruled out for Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears, and the Vikings lost by a score of 12-10. As expected, though, Minnesota activated Jefferson from IR on Tuesday, meaning it looks like he will be back for Week 14 when the Vikings return from their bye.
Vikings Activate Justin Jefferson from IR
The Vikings announced the decision via a tweet on Tuesday, writing, “WR Justin Jefferson will be activated from injured reserve today.”
Jefferson has missed the past seven games for the Vikings because of a hamstring strain during Minnesota’s Week 5 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to the injury, the star had been on a blistering start to the season, catching 36 passes for 571 yards and 3 TDs over the first 4-plus games.
When the injury occurred, the season seemed over for the Vikings. They had just lost their best player, and they had fallen to a 1-4 start to the season.
Instead of rolling over, though, the Vikings rattled off five straight victories, including the final two of them coming without QB Kirk Cousins. Things have obviously changed since then, though, as Minnesota has now lost back-to-back games. Still, these games were very winnable for the Vikings, and if Jefferson were around, they may have been able to get those victories.
Now, Jefferson is set to return following the Vikings bye in Week 14 when Minnesota takes on the Las Vegas Raiders on the road. At 6-6, Minnesota is in need of a victory to ensure that they can keep hold of that No. 7 seed in the NFC. The Raiders are also on bye this week, meaning both teams will go into the game well rested.
While the past couple weeks have certainly been frustrating to watch, all hope should not be lost for this Vikings team. They still control their own destiny to get into the playoffs, and they simply need to take care of business following the bye.
It will help to have arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL back on the field as they make their final push.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.