Justin Jefferson is confident he will play this week despite a bruised quadriceps that caused him to leave the last game early.
The Minnesota Vikings agree with their star wide receiver. After practicing without any restrictions on Friday, Jefferson was cleared to participate in Sunday’s game against Houston.
“He has done a good job of being present, engaged, and having ownership of the plan. He got great work in today, and I think he feels ready to roll,” said Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.
Jefferson practiced on a limited basis for precaution on Wednesday and Thursday. The 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year mentioned that the injured muscle “feels great” after a hit from San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner that forced him out late in the third quarter last week.
“Just staying in the treatment room and making sure I feel fantastic on Sunday,” said Jefferson, who missed seven games last season due to a severe hamstring strain.
Jefferson will be without his main teammate, Jordan Addison. The 2023 first-round draft pick, who injured his ankle in the season opener against New York, has been ruled out for the second week.
On defense, starting linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (quadriceps, ankle) and backup outside linebacker Dallas Turner (knee) are also out. No other player received a status update on the Vikings’ injury report, which was released on Friday.
For the Texans, running back Joe Mixon (ankle) is doubtful after missing practice all week due to an injury sustained in the previous game against Chicago. His backup, Dameon Pierce (hamstring), is also ruled out for the second straight game.
This will likely put Cam Akers, who played for the Vikings last year before suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon tear, in the lead role in the backfield, with Dare Ogunbowale next in line.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans believes Mixon was hurt by an illegal hip-drop tackle, a move the NFL is trying to crack down on this year due to the increase in lower-leg injuries it has caused.
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards was not penalized for the tackle during the game. Coincidentally, O’Connell mentioned that Addison was injured by a similar tackle from Giants linebacker Darius Muasau. He also wasn’t penalized in the game but was later fined by the league.
O’Connell said Addison should have a good chance to play the following week against Green Bay.
“He was able to progress, but not all the way to the point where we could be 100% confident he wouldn’t have a setback of any kind. Jordan’s always pushing to go. He was pushing to go last week,” O’Connell said.
“The most important thing is, over the long term of the season, getting him back to a place where he’s ready to rock and roll.”
During training camp, Jefferson talked about his recovery from a hamstring injury, saying he was “so scared for it to happen again” that he increased his focus on precautionary and proactive exercises and treatments this year. So far, that approach seems to be working.
Regarding his quadriceps injury, he believes it could have been avoided—specifically, by not getting close to a player like the three-time All-Pro Warner. Jefferson got hurt while blocking during a running play.
He was supposed to stay outside and push the 49ers cornerback away but ended up moving inside where Warner was.
“Some things you can control. I could have controlled this injury by not going in there on this run play. That wasn’t my job on that specific run, so it’s just things to avoid and things to look for in the future,” Jefferson said. “I’ve got to know my specific rules for next time and be a lot more smart.”
