Vikings Dealt Another Blow, Lose Adam Thielen For Season
K. Joudry
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In fairness, the season only has two more games, but it’s still discouraging news. The Athletic is reporting that Adam Thielen is done for the year.
Sunday’s matchup with the Packers will therefore be a lot more difficult. Minnesota wants to win this game since it’ll make Green Bay’s pursuit of a bye week more difficult. They’ll need to accomplish this goal without their WR2.
The injury also brings Thielen’s future with the team into focus. He’ll have a massive cap hit next year, though most fans feel like a contract restructure makes the most sense. More than 70% of the fans who responded to my Twitter poll said a restructure is the best option.
When the injury first happened, Purple PTSD‘s LeeAnn Lowman suggested that high ankle sprains generally take at least 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately, she was proved right. The team rushed him back in their zeal to sneak into the playoffs, which now appears to be a misguided move. Mike Zimmer is fighting for his job, and the team still had decent shot at the playoffs if they had beaten the Rams.
Minnesota will move forward with KJ Osborn as the WR2. Justin Jefferson will continue to be featured prominently, and Tyler Conklin will be leaned on to continue his strong year. Minnesota will really feel Thielen’s absence in the red zone. At least the Dalvin Cook return offers some hope of a more dynamic offense against Green Bay on SNF.
Adam Thielen finishes the season with 67 catches, 726 yards, and 10 TDs.
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