The silence told the story on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium as Justin Jefferson stayed down on the ground. You could feel the fan base starting to fear the worse as the standout receiver slowly stood up and limped to the medical tent.

Was it another hamstring injury? Luckily for the Vikings it was not.

It turned out to be a quad injury for Jefferson, and while he did not return as the Vikings earned a 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers, it doesn’t appear to be anything too serious.

“Not overly concerned,” Jefferson said. “Just a little thigh bruise.”

That fact that Jefferson talked to reporters postgame and was his usual jovial self seemed like a good sign. It also seemed like a good sign that head coach Kevin O’Connell had a similar tone postgame when asked for an update on Jefferson.

“He’s already up and moving,” O’Connell said. “We will treat that thing, and hopefully he will be day-to-day for us.”

It’s too soon to make any declarations about next week. That said, Jefferson made it sound like that he should be good to go when the Vikings play host to the Houston Texans.

“It’s something that happens a lot during football,” Jefferson said. “Just got to get it feeling well, and I’ll be ready to go next week.

Cashman homecoming

After signing with the Vikings in the spring, Eden Prairie native Blake Cashman had to wait until the fall to play a home game in his home state.

It was worth the wait as Cashman finished with 13 tackles and even recorded a sack while serving as the main communicator for the Vikings on defense.

As good as he looked out there, Cashman isn’t reading too much into his performance.

“It’s important not to get complacent,” Cashman said. “We’ve got to wipe our hands clean and restart and do it all over again next week.”

Reichard goes 3 for 3

After not being asked to attempt a field goal last week in his NFL debut, rookie kicker Will Reichard went 3 for 3 on Sunday afternoon to help the Vikings secure a win over the 49ers. He converted on kicks from 22 yards, 39 yards and 27 yards.

Though he wasn’t really tested from long range, Reichard was consistent nonetheless as each field goal sailed right down the middle.

“It’s beautiful,” safety Josh Metellus said. “Whenever he goes out there we don’t even have to look up. We just know the points are coming, and we should get ready to go to kickoff. I’m excited for him to keep building this season.”

Briefly

As the Vikings were trying to stop the 49ers late in the game, rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner limped toward the sideline with a knee injury. Asked about Turner postgame, O’Connell didn’t have much of an update, saying the Vikings would evaluate him moving forward.

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