Vikings’ Justin Jefferson not expected to suit up in Week 12 vs. Bears
Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson is questionable to play against the Bears Monday night, but his chances seem bleaker than that.
Justin Jefferson is still trending in the wrong direction with regard to his availability for Week 12’s showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears. Jefferson is listed as questionable for Monday night’s game at home, but the general expectation is that he will miss the rematch against Chicago, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (h/t ESPN).
“Despite Justin Jefferson being listed as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings will exercise caution with their standout wide receiver and he is considered unlikely to play, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.”
It has been a while since the Vikings saw Justin Jefferson on the field. Since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 5’s 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the star wideout has missed six games in a row, including Week 6’s 19-13 road win over the Bears.
Vikings finding ways to win despite Justin Jefferson’s absence
Jefferson is the best downfield weapon of the Vikings, but even in his absence, his team has managed to keep its head above water and win games. In fact, the Vikings won five of the six games he’s sat out so far in the 2023 NFL regular season.
TJ Hockenson, Jordan Addison, and KJ Osborn have teamed up to help cover the void left temporarily by Jefferson, who is still third on the team with 571 receiving yards to go with three touchdowns on 36 receptions.
The Vikings, who also saw quarterback Kirk Cousins suffer a season-ending injury, can still carve up Chicago’s leaky defense even without Jefferson. The Bears are 29th in the league with 26.0 points allowed per game.
Rexwell Villas is a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith’s conscience with his shot selection. He is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.
