The Minnesota Vikings have ruled out wide receiver Justin Jefferson and a few other players for the Week 4 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
The Minnesota Vikings have released the final injury report ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, and wide receiver Justin Jefferson, among a few others, will be out for this game.
So, let's get into this injury report and see what other players the Vikings have ruled out heading into Sunday.
To start, obviously the biggest news on this injury report is the fact that Jefferson has been ruled out, and in particular, he has been ruled out with an ankle injury that appears to be a mild sprain. While Jefferson is out this week, there is optimism he could be back next week.
In addition to Jefferson, the Vikings have also ruled out cornerback Charles Demmings as well as punter Brett Thorson.
The news of Demmings being ruled out is not very surprising, as head coach Kevin O'Connell said that Demmings would miss some time earlier in the week due to a hamstring issue, and after saying that there was some question as to whether or not Demmings would play, there is a final designation as Demmings is out.
Now looking at Thorson, he has been ruled out with a right hamstring injury meaning that he will be out for the second consecutive week, which may bring a mild level of concern when it comes to the severity of the injury as he has now missed two straight games.
As far as Thorson's replacement goes, it will likely be veteran punter Johnny Hekker who was signed to the practice squad earlier this week and stepped up in Week 3 and delivered a solid performance for the Vikings against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While Hekker has not been elevated to the active roster yet, that will happen before the game kicks off on Sunday at 4:05 PM EST.
As far as the other players on the injury report go, they are all on track to play, and that includes running back Aaron Jones Sr. (rest), linebacker Blake Cashman (elbow), offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (rest), and safety Harrison Smith (rest).
Overall, the Vikings are in a pretty solid spot when it comes to injuries, and even though Jefferson is out, this offense was able to do just enough without him in the lineup to get the win, with the defense and special teams having great performances as well.
So, heading into Week 4, it will be interesting to see how O'Connell and quarterback Kyler Murray work together without Jefferson on the perimeter and if they can find some success against the Dolphins that could be the momentum this offense needs to get on track and possibly become dynamic once Jefferson does return.
