Vikings Show Signs of Health at Critical Positions Ahead of MNF Slugfest
Win in the NFL without the top players being available at quarterback and corner. How far do you think a team would get?
In Minnesota, the results have been astonishingly positive. Now, in fairness, the corners have mostly been untouched by injury. Apart from a recent absence from CB2 Akayleb Evans, the Vikings’ secondary has been available. A bit banged up at times, yes, but available. At quarterback? Well, that’s been a different story, but the Vikings show that achieving some success isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.
Kirk Cousins is done for the season. Until recently, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall were also missing time due to their own injuries. Vikings fans (and Kevin O’Connell, for that matter) are going to be pleased to see the pair of backup QBs looking like they’re back to 100% health.
More broadly, where do the Vikings stand as the Monday Night Football game lingers?
Vikings Show Signs of Health Leading into Monday Night Football
On Thursday, the Vikings released their initial injury report. QB Jaren Hall, QB Nick Mullens, and LB Brian Asamoah were all full participants. WR Justin Jefferson (who is still on the IR), CB Akayleb Evans, and TE T.J. Hockenson were all limited.
Things didn’t look profoundly different in the Friday health update from the Vikings. In fact, the injury report is a mirror image of itself. The same trio are operating fully in practice; the same trio are limited.
Mullens and Hall — the QB2 and QB3 in Minnesota — remain full participants in practice. As a result, the full expectation is that each will be capable of hopping into the MNF game should their services be needed to tame the Bears.
Plus, Asamoah keeps taking steps forward. Very few would insist that linebacker is as important as quarterback and yet it’s still a vital position within the Brian Flores defense. Most often, the DC only puts one or two off-ball linebackers onto the field. Whoever is out there needs to be sharp. Expect a hearty portion of Ivan Pace and more Anthony Barr. Having the sophomore linebacker would be another option, and don’t forget that he’s capable of helping Matt Daniels and the special teams.
Unless something unforeseen happens, T.J. Hockenson will be on the field. The tight end has been working through pain recently but has been able to keep himself in the game. Doing so has given a competitive edge to Minnesota, largely since Josh Dobbs has established some early chemistry with Hockenson.
The general consensus seems to be that Justin Jefferson won’t be playing against Chicago. The allure of letting the WR1 tack-on the bye week to his recovery timeline may be too tempting. Take a look at what ESPN’s Kevin Seifert has to say: “[Jefferson’s] hasn’t had a full practice since his 21-day window opened. Presumably would be hard to judge him 100% without one. Saturday’s practice is relatively light.”
Dianna Russini of The Athletic largely agrees, arguing, “The Vikings are not going to push their best player to get back on the field despite the fact that they are in the playoff hunt. This all makes sense as it will give the receiver two more weeks of rest from game action, thanks to the Vikings being on their bye in Week 13.”
And, of course, there are the words from the man himself. He notes in response to a question of whether he’ll play, “I’m not sure, we’ll see. We still have more days to practice and really evaluate everything.” At the very least, he’s getting closer.
Finally, we think of corner: Akayleb Evans.
The Bears are going to be leaning on Justin Fields and D.J. Moore to pull off some magic inside of U.S. Bank Stadium. No one is mistaking Moore for Calvin Johnson, but he has some sneaky size and strength. He comes in at a sturdy 210 pounds, so whoever is tasked with tackling him will need to possess good form and (ideally) an equal level of strength to help bring him to the ground.
Last week, the Vikings fell to the Broncos, letting the win slip away by just a single point. The deciding score, of course, was the touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. In that moment, the Denver receiver proved to be too long and strong for Mekhi Blackmon.
Evans brings a lot to the table, and one of his defining characteristics is his size (he’s 6’2″ and weighs nearly 200 pounds). Partner the size with a great willingness and effectiveness as a tackler and the CB2 brings a lot of value to Flores’ defense. He was limited, so he has a shot at playing in a few days.
Kickoff occurs at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, November 27th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
Once Menacing Statistic is Now Working in Minnesota’s Favor
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.