The Vikings’ First Injury Report of the Week Is Here
On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings failed to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles and just one day later, we have the first injury of the week. Usually, those arrive on Wednesday, but Kevin O’Connell’s operation is in a short week with the next matchup looming on Thursday.
The Vikings’ First Injury Report of the Week Is Here
Because the squad played a game on Sunday, Monday’s injury report is an estimation. If there were a practice session, would the specific player have participated and to what extent?
Non-Participants
Two guys didn’t practice (in theory): C.J. Ham and Brian O’Neill. The veterans have different reasons for their absences.
Ham suffered a hand injury in Sunday’s game, O’Connell mentioned afterward. Perhaps that is on the more severe side and could indicate an absence in the near future. The fullback missed the first four games of the season and has played the last two. The head coach will likely have an update on Tuesday, when he’s scheduled to talk to the media.
O’Neill, meanwhile, played the first four games and missed Week 5 due to an MCL sprain suffered in Dublin. The Pro Bowler was an actual game-time decision but declared himself ready ahead of kickoff. He should be available on Thursday.
Limited Participants
Four players would have practiced in limited fashion: J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, Zavier Scott, and Andrew Van Ginkel.
Let’s start with the quarterbacks. McCarthy has missed four straight games with a high ankle sprain. The numbers have changed over the past few weeks, but it looks like a six-week timeline to reach 100% is the most common one. On Monday, we reached five weeks and one day from the initial injury suffered in Week 2. A limited designation could mean another week of emergency QB duties.
However, Wentz didn’t have his best day at the office on Sunday. Furthermore, he’s also listed as a limited participant with the left shoulder he had been dealing with entering last game. A change at the quarterback position is possible, though it might be unlikely because of the short time between the two games.
Scott suffered a wrist injury on Sunday, but with a limited participation, he might be closer to playing on Thursday than Ham. Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler are still on IR, so Scott is the RB2 behind Jordan Mason.
All-Pro Andrew Van Ginkel remains limited. The neck injury is lingering. His status is a big mystery at this point.
Full Participant
Rookies Donovan Jackson and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins were full participants, and they should be expected to play against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jackson is listed with the wrist injury that cost him the two games in Europe. Sunday was his return to action.
Ingram-Dawkins has been dealing with the hip injury for a while, but has yet to miss a contest.
No other player was listed on Monday. The Vikings couldn’t snatch a win on Sunday, but on the bright side, they didn’t nearly pick up as many injuries as in previous games and are relatively healthy entering Week 8.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.