Justin Jefferson headed to injured reserve

A difficult season just got tougher for the Minnesota Vikings. According to multiple reports, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson is headed to injured reserve, and will miss at least the next four games.

Late in Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Jefferson limped off the field with a leg injury. It was later reported that Jefferson had suffered a hamstring injury, which occurred when Jefferson slipped on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf while running a route against Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.

Jefferson was not the only player to have an issue with the playing surface on Sunday, as Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce suffered an ankle injury as well. But while Kelce returned to the game, Jefferson remained on the sideline for the rest of the contest.

On Monday, Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell provided this update on Jefferson:

“We’ve got to get the MRI of it and take a look and find out exactly what it is, where it is, if there’s any other factors that go into it and determine what the best decision (is) for him to get him back to 100 percent as fast as possible,” he said. “He’s down today. He obviously is one of the most ultra-competitors I’ve ever met, and shoot, he was trying to go back in the game as it was yesterday. So we’re gonna have to medically make a good decision and help kind of almost protect him from himself a little bit.”

However, Tuesday morning offered this reporting from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network:

This news means Jefferson is out at least the next four games, against Chicago, San Francisco, Green Bay, and Atlanta. With the Vikings sitting at 1-4, and three games behind the Detroit Lions in the division, this is a critical stretch of their season, and being without Jefferson is a difficult blow.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.