Everson Griffen will miss the Vikings' game this weekend ... after he injured himself attempting to swerve out of the way of a deer in the road on Thursday.
Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer explained the situation to reporters Friday ... saying Griffen crashed his car while trying to avoid the animal.
Zimmer said the 33-year-old pass rusher was later diagnosed with a concussion ... and is now out of action indefinitely.
"Swerved to miss a deer," Zimmer told media members of the incident. "Got in a car accident."
We've reached out to law enforcement for more information on the wreck ... but so far, no word back yet.
Griffen -- who played for Minnesota from 2010 to 2019 -- re-signed with the Vikings just a few weeks ago ... and played in the team's opener against Cincinnati last Sunday.
Griffen has 80.5 sacks in 90 starts in his career.