Vikings Roster Looking Fresh & Ready Ahead of Week 8 Green Bay Showdown
K. Joudry
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For the most part, the Vikings will be pleased with the injury news.
Yes, Brian Asamoah is still dealing with his ankle issue — one that will keep him out for the game — but the other trio of players are moving in a positive direction. Left guard Ezra Cleveland and wide receiver Jalen Nailor both have a shot at playing, per the team’s injury report. Each one is questionable. Nailor, in particular, stands out since he has been on the IR. Getting him back into the fold at WR would provide some much-needed depth and speed at receiver.
Meanwhile, TE1 T.J. Hockenson is locked and loaded, going into the game without an injury designation attached to his name. Kene Nwangwu is also listed as being questionable.
The Vikings roster is looking like it’s in a nice spot as the week progresses toward Sunday. Picking up the win at Lambeau would mean the Vikings are officially back at .500 and are 2-0 against the NFC North (both road games).
Vikings Roster Looking Fresh & Healthy
The Vikings’ linebacker responsibilities have mostly shrunk down to a single player: veteran Jordan Hicks.
Last week, he hogged all the snaps at linebacker while Ivan Pace only picked up five. Meanwhile, Asamoah didn’t see the field at all on defense. Brian Flores has fully flipped things over into the very capable hands of the safeties and his most experienced LB.
And, for the record, the decision looks prudent. How important was Harrison Smith in overcoming the Panthers, Jordan Hicks in overcoming the Bears, and Camryn Bynum in overcoming the 49ers? Maybe the DC has something figured out. Potentially losing Asamoah for a week definitely stings, but the game plan shouldn’t change too much as a result of the absence.
Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels will need to pivot toward someone else to soak up some of Asamoah’s snaps on special teams. If Nwangwu isn’t capable of playing, then Ty Chandler will become the kick returner once again.
On offense, Kevin O’Connell will be pleased to possibly have Nailor back. At one point late in the San Francisco game, Minnesota was dealing with a receiver trio consisting of K.J. Osborn, Trishton Jackson, and Brandon Powell. Safe to say the Vikings would like to amp up the talent out wide when in 11 personnel, especially since Hockenson was also missing some snaps due to his own injury.
Nailor isn’t going to morph into Justin Jefferson 2.0 — few, if any, can — but he can play a role.
More important is keeping the TE1 on the field. Concerns remain about the way he’s being used, catching plenty of short passes. Last week, though, did feature the former Lion getting down the field a bit more. Given all the injuries in Green Bay’s secondary, there’s potential for the Vikings to target their TE1 early and often.
Lately, Lambeau Field has been a difficult place to play for the Vikings. Not having to face Aaron Rodgers, though, certainly makes the building less troublesome. Matt LaFleur may get Jordan Love to become a tremendous QB1, but Flores and O’Connell are likely feeling pretty good about the talent that’s available to them going into this one.
Based on roster talent alone, the Vikings should be considered the favorite.
Kickoff takes place on Sunday at 12 p.m. CDT.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.