MINNEAPOLIS — As he walked through the locker room Sunday evening, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell stopped to chat with receiver Justin Jefferson.
He threw his arm around Jefferson's shoulders, leaned in closely and spoke a few encouraging words into his ear. It was the kind of conversation no coach wants to have.
O'Connell's star player left Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after a fourth-quarter injury to his right hamstring, and it's a worrisome turn of events for a team that runs its entire offense through him.
O'Connell said that it's «still very early» to project a timetable for Jefferson's recovery — or if he'd miss any time at all — but a hamstring injury for a player at his position can be problematic. «We'll get him back as soon as we possibly can,» O'Connell said. «There won't be a better teammate in that locker room during the time [he is out].