The Minnesota Vikings have been on the wrong side of injury luck since starting training camp in July. First, cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, who many thought could be a breakout player, suffered a season-ending injury, then rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy was ruled out for his debut season after promising early results in camp and the preseason.
Wednesday’s Vikings Injury Report Is a Pretty Long List
Some smaller issues, like Jordan Addison’s ankle sprain suffered in joint practices, just added to the growing list of injuries.
On Wednesday, the Vikings released their first injury report, leading up to the Week 3 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. It’s quite a large group, and at first glance, it surely rings some alarm bells.
The good news, however, is that it’s normal for Wednesday’s report to look like this. Players, especially veterans, who have suffered minor ailments in the last game get the day off to recover and get treatment.
Still, seeing ten names listed can raise some concerns.
Addison suffered another ankle injury in Week 1 when the defender used an outlawed hip-drop tackle. He subsequently missed the first game of his young career against the 49ers.
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling tweeted from Kevin O’Connell’s presser: “Jordan Addison is ‘still in that day-to-day world’ going through treatment on his ankle.”
Dallas Turner suffered a knee injury against the 49ers and exited the game. Later that day, O’Connell calmed down the situation, mentioning that it was not expected to be a long-term issue. A missed practice isn’t the best sign for Week 3, but he should return at some point in the near future.
Brian O’Neill’s absence is likely one of those famous veteran rest days. He was apparently riding a bike on the sidelines.
Justin Jefferson left Sunday’s contest with a quad contusion but claimed after the game that he wouldn’t miss any time. It’s that kind of injury that hurts a lot in the first few days, but his limited participation is a good sign.
It’s the first time we’ve heard about Ivan Pace’s quad injury, but just like Jefferson, limited participation is a reason for optimism. Andrew van Ginkel was held out of practice early last week, too. He recovered all offseason from a foot injury, and the Vikings want to limit his reps. He should be good to go, just like veterans Garrett Bradbury and Aaron Jones. They are experienced players who seem to just get some time off.
Ed Ingram and Jalen Nailor are listed as full participants, so there shouldn’t be any concern.
In addition to those players, the Vikings announced on Wednesday that tight end Nick Muse had to be placed on IR with a fractured hand. He is now out for at least four games, but still managed to recover the game-clinching onside kick late against the 49ers.
With the 2-0 Texans coming to town, the Vikings need to be close to full health on both sides of the field. The next injury report will be released on Thursday, and folks should start to return to practice.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
