Inside The Vikings

Justin Jefferson Update: Will He Play vs. Bears on Monday Night?

It still feels like Jefferson won't return until after the bye, but playing against Chicago is a possibility.
Will Ragatz|
Justin Jefferson Update: Will He Play vs. Bears on Monday Night?
Justin Jefferson Update: Will He Play vs. Bears on Monday Night?

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Minnesota Vikings

At most, Justin Jefferson will miss one more game. He's getting very close to a return from the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 5 that has kept him out of each of the Vikings' last six contests.

Based on everything that's been said, it continues to feel like the most likely outcome is Jefferson sitting out a seventh and final game, then returning after the Vikings' Week 13 bye. But it's not at all out of the question that he could play on Monday night against the Bears if he's feeling good to go.

"I'm not sure," Jefferson said when asked about his status for MNF. "We'll see. We still have more days to practice and really evaluate everything. We're gonna weigh options correctly, making sure that I'm feeling well and prepared to play a game. And if I'm feeling good, I will play."

That's an important line: If I'm feeling good, I will play. Jefferson desperately wants to be back out there with his teammates after missing so much time. The Vikings would obviously love to have one of the NFL's best wide receivers on the field again. This is a game against the Bears that they really want to win.

It's just the timing of the bye week, the tricky nature of hamstring injuries, and Jefferson's long-term importance to the franchise that make you think he'll sit out one more game to be as cautious as possible. But again, there's no need to keep him out just to keep him out. If he and the Vikings feel like he's ready, it'll be go time on Monday night.

"I've been getting to top speeds, I've been running well," Jefferson said. "Still on the same thing, a day-to-day process."

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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