Justin Jefferson suffers hamstring injury in Vikings' loss to Chiefs

Receiver Justin Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury while running a route in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 27-20 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. He limped off the field and watched the rest of the game from the sideline with a purple towel over his head.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said the Vikings still have to "diagnose exactly what that injury is" and they're unsure how much more time, if any, Jefferson will miss. Jefferson had three catches for 28 yards before leaving.

"It was tough on him," O'Connell said. "We'll get him back as soon as we possibly can. There won't be a better teammate in that locker room during the time — hopefully we have him right back this week."

Jefferson emerged from the medical tent and found receiver Brandon Powell on the sideline. Powell was the next man up behind K.J. Osborn and Jordan Addison, and Jefferson encouraged him. Jefferson was not available to reporters after the game.

"That's my boy," Powell said. "He gets me going. Even in practice, I go up to him and try to get a little energy."

Vikings targets had their share of drops on Sunday, but Powell stepped in and converted a third down with a 13-yard catch and run. Osborn had a 27-yard catch, positioning quarterback Kirk Cousins for the fourth-down heave to Addison and the controversial no-call on Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.

Addison led the Vikings with six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. O'Connell said he would've liked to see Addison lean into the contact from McDuffie.

"[Addison] was outstanding," O'Connell said. "You'd love to see maybe him play back into the defender who is interfering with him in the moment, but ... I thought Jordan was really good."

The Chiefs were playing rough with Jefferson, at one point drawing four penalties on one drive for some form of illegal contact on the Vikings star. Kansas City defenders were penalized for illegal hands to the face, unnecessary roughness, illegal contact and defensive pass interference in a span of seven plays in the second quarter.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce also hobbled off the field after suffering a non-contact ankle injury before halftime. He returned and finished with 10 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Vikings center Garrett Bradbury played his first full game of the season. Well, almost a full game. He missed at least one snap, a third down in the third quarter, because the league's concussion spotter pulled him from the game to be evaluated. Bradbury emerged from a play holding the back of his neck, but said he was fine.

Better yet, he felt strong in his return from a lower back injury that resurfaced in the first quarter of the Sept. 10 season opener.

"I felt good," Bradbury said. "You can't replicate the game, you kind of have to just get in there. But it was fun to be back out there."

After Bradbury emerged from the medical tent, he was suddenly practicing long snapping to punter Ryan Wright on the sideline. Long snapper Andrew DePaola had tweaked his ankle, and for a moment, Bradbury thought he'd be long snapping. But DePaola returned.

"As if the game isn't stressful enough," Bradbury said.

The Vikings converted four of five fourth-down attempts, including a fake punt from midfield in the second quarter. Safety Josh Metellus took a direct snap and gave the handoff to running back Ty Chandler, who gained 15 yards and a first down. Addison ended the drive with a touchdown.

Two years ago in Baltimore, running back Kene Nwangwu gained nine yards and a conversion in a similar situation that doesn't bring back fond memories for Metellus.

"The last time we ran that fake punt was Baltimore [in 2021] and we lost that game in overtime," Metellus said. "I'm getting tired of losing games to be honest with you."

Cornerback Akayleb Evans said he doesn't expect the knee injury that knocked him out of the third quarter of Sunday's loss to be a long-term issue.

Evans, the second-year defender, was evaluated and tried jogging it off on the sideline, but he watched as rookie cornerback Mekhi Blackmon played much of the rest of the game.

• Rookie Jaren Hall was the Vikings' backup quarterback. Veteran Nick Mullens did not play due to a back injury that limited him in practices last week. Safety Lewis Cine (hamstring) also did not play.

• Jefferson was fined $10,927 for taunting, making a "too small" gesture about cornerback D'Shawn Jamison after a 30-yard touchdown catch in the Oct. 1 win at Carolina.

• Former Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze, a cancer survivor, sounded the Gjallarhorn before kickoff as the team honored survivors and victims at the game. Also in attendance were former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper and defensive end Everson Griffen, who still lives in the area and is an assistant coach with Minnetonka High School.