Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) to miss next 4 games - ESPN

Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson will miss at least the next four games because of a strained right hamstring he suffered Sunday in the team's 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the biggest blow in what has been a catastrophic start to the team's season.

The Vikings plan to place Jefferson on injured reserve Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed, to ensure that he does not return to the field too early and suffer a setback. The earliest he could be activated is for a Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints, but the Vikings will determine at that point whether he's ready to resume playing or if he needs more time.

The decision tracks with what coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday during a news conference with reporters.

«We're going to have to medically make a good decision and help almost protect him from himself a little bit in a way where we've got to take care of him and get him back to 100 percent,» O'Connell said.

Losing Jefferson, the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2022, will further impair a Vikings team that has started the season 1-4 and has three of its next four games on the road. Their only home game in that stretch is against the undefeated San Francisco 49ers.

The team runs its entire offense through Jefferson, O'Connell acknowledged Monday, and might need to reinvent its schemes to move forward. Entering Week 5, Jefferson ranked first in the NFL in receiving yards (543), was tied for second in catches (33) and third in targets (47).

Rookie Jordan Addison figures to see more targets, along with veterans K.J. Osborn and Brandon Powell, but the Vikings will also have to adjust to defenses that likely won't feel compelled to use the double-teams and other exotic coverages that Jefferson