Garrett Bradbury, Harrison Smith Among 5 Inactive Vikings vs. DET
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions have each released their lists of inactive players ahead of Week 14’s game. Among the 5 inactive Vikings, there are three usual starters that won’t play on Sunday. The full list is as follows:
- LT Christian Darrisaw
- C Garrett Bradbury
- S Harrison Smith
- DL Ross Blacklock
- OLB Luiji Vilain
Of course, the biggest concern here lies with the offensive line. Not only is Christian Darrisaw out for his third consecutive game, but Garrett Bradbury won’t play, either. In their stead, it looks like it will be Blake Brandel and Austin Schlottmann in the starting lineup for the offense.
On defense, Josh Metellus will take the place of Harrison Smith at safety. In hindsight, Smith’s absence also makes the elevation of Myles Dorn to the active roster much more relevant. Perhaps he could see some snaps on the defense as well in his third game of the regular season.
Additionally, two rookies will make their NFL debuts today for the Vikings. Both offensive tackle Vederian Lowe and defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo have been activated for the first time this season.
As for the Lions, they will be without seven players on Sunday. Their list includes the following players:
- G Kayode Awosika
- LB Derrick Barnes
- DL Michael Brockers
- C/G Evan Brown
- DL Austin Bryant
- CB Will Harris
- WR Tom Kennedy
Today’s game already carried extra importance for the Vikings seeing as it is a divisional game, and you’d like to win as many of these games as possible. This is especially the case when the other three teams sit with losing records coming into Week 14.
However, this game became even more significant due to the Vikings Week 13 victory. With their magic number sitting at one, a Vikings win today would ensure that they win the NFC North. Even still, the Vikings appear to be playing it extremely safe with their injuries. At 10-2, and the potential for a deep playoff run on the table, this is probably the correct decision.
Kickoff between the Vikings and Lions is scheduled for 12 PM CST at Ford Field in Detroit.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.