Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) waves to fans after the win against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings are one of the hottest teams in the NFL at 4-0 on the season, one of just three teams in the league off to a perfect start. However, it hasn't felt flawless to this point on offense for Minnesota. Part of that stems from an ankle injury to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson that has caused him to miss the better part of the last two games.
Jefferson was limited at practice on Wednesday as he targets a return in Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. After practice finished up, the LSU product talked about his hope for a return in the same stadium that he won a national championship in during his college days.
“Vikings WR Justin Jefferson said he's ‘real good' with his ankle,” Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Said he's ‘hopefully' on track for Sunday in New Orleans against the Saints.”
“That's definitely the plan,” Jefferson said. “Being back at home, in Louisiana, is something I want to do.”
Jefferson went down with the injury early in Minnesota's Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He left that game, did not return and then didn't play in an ugly win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. If he returns in Week 5, it will greatly increase the chances of the Vikings improving to 5-0 against a very gettable Saints secondary.
Of course, one of the storylines coming into the season in Minnesota was how well Jefferson would mesh with Kyler Murray. However, the two have barely gotten to play together so far in 2026. Murray missed Minnesota's Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears with a concussion, so Jefferson and Murray still haven't even played a full game together.
Vikings fans will be hoping that Sunday will be the first full game that Jefferson is able to play with his new quarterback. If the two of them are out there for this one, it could be just what Minnesota needs to unlock what could be an explosive offense.