TAMPA, Fla. -- The Minnesota Vikings departed Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night with a 3-0 record, questions about the health of star receiver Justin Jefferson and concern for the state of the offense he left behind.
Jefferson did not return after suffering a left ankle injury at the end of the Vikings' first possession in a 23-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coach Kevin O'Connell said Jefferson would be reevaluated upon his return to Minnesota. He did not directly answer a question about the severity of the receiver's condition.
The Vikings have two more games remaining before their Week 6 bye. In the only other significant injury of his NFL career, Jefferson missed seven games in 2023 because of a torn right hamstring muscle.
"I just know that he was pretty close to coming back in," O'Connell said. "He just couldn't get there. He's such an explosive player, and the way he gets defended, he needs to be able to have [his legs] getting off the line, press coverage, all those things. He just couldn't quite get there. I know he was trying like crazy, and it was killing him not to get back out there."
In his absence, receiver Jordan Addison caught five passes for 90 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown from Kyler Murray in the second quarter. But it was the only offensive touchdown the Vikings scored Sunday as they managed just seven first downs after Jefferson's injury.
With Murray playing in his first full game since joining Minnesota, having missed most of the first two weeks because of a concussion, the Vikings did not take a single snap in the red zone. Will Reichard converted field goals of 54 and 56 yards, and Myles Price returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown to account for the rest of their scoring. The Vikings' last victory with no red zone plays came in 2007.
O'Connell said afterward, "We were a little off." The Vikings have had extenuating circumstances, from Murray's concussion in Week 1 to a steady rain in Chicago during Week 2 to Jefferson's injury in Week 3. But the bottom line is that after three games, their offense is one of the NFL's worst.
"We've got to start holding up our end of the bargain for sure," right tackle Brian O'Neill said.
At one point after Jefferson's injury, Murray completed only two of 15 passes. He finished the day with 15 completions in 29 attempts for 168 yards, taking three sacks and having a batted pass intercepted in the backfield.
Murray said the offense must get better but added: "I mean, it's only Week 3. It's Week 3. That my first game realistically. And [Jefferson] went down. I think we're going to get better each week. I think that's what our plan is. Obviously, we didn't feel like we played our best game today."
Vikings opponents have outgained them this season by 244 yards, the second-largest differential by a 3-0 team in NFL history. And that's with Jefferson playing all of the first two games.
His injury Sunday came at the end of a 10-yard screen pass with 11:07 remaining in the first quarter. He had earlier caught a 22-yard pass across the middle amid high hopes that he and Murray would team up to elevate the passing game.
Jefferson never required medical assistance on the field but eventually had an extended visit in the medical tent. He emerged wearing his helmet and then watched the game from the sideline for a while before walking to the locker room. He was not seen on the sideline in the second half.
In his absence, the Vikings shifted their offensive focus to Addison, who entered the game with only two catches on seven targets this season. Jauan Jennings and Tai Felton were the Vikings' other receivers when they used three-receiver sets.
"I just put it in my mind that we've just got to take it up a notch," Addison said. "That's a guy that make a lot of plays for this team. So whenever the ball come my way, I just make sure I make the play and then do more with it."
Jefferson has largely been healthy in his NFL career and has played in every Vikings game for five of his six full seasons. The lone exception was the torn right hamstring in 2023.
He had the worst season of his career in 2025 as the Vikings tried to transition to quarterback J.J. McCarthy while also using rookie Max Brosmer for two starts. Jefferson finished with 1,048 receiving yards for the season, fewer in 17 games than he had accumulated during his 10-game stint in 2023.
The Vikings' decision to replace McCarthy with Murray brought hope that Jefferson could resume his explosive production. He caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, mostly from backup Carson Wentz, but managed only three receptions for 55 yards in a rain-soaked Week 2 game at the Chicago Bears.
Jefferson's 179 receiving yards this season is the fewest he has had through three weeks in his career.