Injury Report Week 3 ‒ Texans at Vikings
You can notice that football is back by the number of injured players. When we did it for the first game, the Vikings had only two guys dealing with injuries, and two others had veteran rest days. Only two weeks later, the number skyrocketed to ten.
The Texans are also dealing with a few banged-up players, so neither team will have the full roster at their disposal.
Houston Texans Injuries
The Texans have already ruled one player out in RB Dameon Pierce. The third-year back is dealing with a hamstring injury and missed the game against the Bears last week. Another running back who missed that Sunday Night Football game, Joe Mixon, has been ruled out on Saturday. Former Viking Cam Akers is likely to start and shoulder the most carries.
Three other players are questionable for the game this Sunday. Safety M.J. Stewart was limited the whole week with him having a knee problem, and neither center could play. Starter Juice Scruggs is dealing with his groin, and backup Jarrett Patterson has a calf injury.
Scruggs practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday and Friday after not practicing Wednesday. He is expected to suit up. Patterson also missed Wednesday’s practice and was limited on Thursday but didn’t attend on Friday.
Azeez Al-Shaair, Nico Collins, and Dalton Schultz were either limited or missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but were full participants on Friday and don’t have injury designations for the game.
Minnesota Vikings Injuries
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell ruled out three players for the game. WR Jordan Addison will miss his second game after leaving the Giants game with an ankle injury. He didn’t practice this week and may only be back for the game against the Jets in Week 5.
Rookie Dallas Turner suffered a knee injury against the 49ers and is also out this week, not participating in any practice. The head coach said it isn’t a serious injury, but he’s known for being cautious in these situations.
LB Ivan Pace was limited with a quad injury on Wednesday and Thursday and picked up an ankle injury as well, not practicing Friday. If this was a playoff game, Pace would probably play, and Addison would push to at least be active.
Justin Jefferson (quad), Brian O’Neill (elbow), Andrew Van Ginkel (foot), Garrett Bradbury (knee), and Aaron Jones (hip) all missed or were limited earlier in the week but were full participants on Friday and are good to go. Ed Ingram and Jalen Nailor were full participants for the whole week.
Addison and Turner are probably the easiest to replace for this Vikings game. Although the wide receiver will be missed, Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell came in clutch against the 49ers, especially in the 4th quarter when Justin Jefferson was out. Dallas Turner will have a very good career, but he’s still in a rotational role, and with Patrick Jones and Jihad Ward playing well, the team can be smart with him.
Ivan Pace will be tougher to replace, though. This is not only because he looks and plays like a kid on steroids in the middle of a sugar high but also because the depth is thin at linebacker. Brian Asamoah was a cut candidate this offseason and the Vikings are Kamu Grugier-Hill’s 5th team since 2020. Flores could also opt to play Josh Metellus in a linebacker-esque role and put Theo Jackson on the field.
