At Least 2 Injured Vikings Pro Bowlers Trending to Play on Thursday
Dustin Baker
|
The Minnesota Vikings are in the middle of a short week, scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night after losing to the Detroit Lions last Sunday.
At 5-7, the Vikings hold a 28% chance to reach the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight.com.
Minnesota is close to missing out on postseason contention – especially after collapsing in Detroit during Week 13 – but a flicker of hope remains.
Against the Lions, the Vikings were without Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen (most of the game), Christian Darrisaw, Irv Smith Jr., Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, and Patrick Peterson. That is a lot of Pro Bowl-level production.
Well, a couple of men with Pro Bowls are trending in the right direction to play versus the Steelers in Week 14 – Anthony Barr and Patrick Peterson.
Barr was a last-minute scratch from the Lions debacle, indicating his injury was not too serious. He announced on Tuesday he would play this week:
The Vikings linebacker is not known for stuffing statsheets with gaudy numbers, but Barr is a captain and a key ingredient to everything a Zimmer defense tries to do. Emphasis on the try because the Zimmer defense has become rotten since Danielle Hunter was lost for the season.
Barr back, though, can help drag that 30th ranking out of the sewer.
And it also seems cornerback Patrick Peterson will return. He was activated from the COVID list on Tuesday, signaling a return in primetime against the Steelers.
This one is crucial as the Steelers employ competent receivers, all of which would can pop off for 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown or two. The Steelers WR corps is even diminished, losing JuJu Smith-Schuster for the rest of 2021 in mid-October.
Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and James Washington will catch Ben Roethlisberger’s passes this week, so the Vikings need healthy secondary bodies. Since the team lost Mike Hughes and Jeff Gladney this offseason, the CB depth became suspect even though Zimmer’s defense showcases Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, Bashaud Breeland, and Mackensie Alexander.
The other one to watch on defense is Eric Kendricks. He practiced on Tuesday, but it is unclear if he is ready to go like Barr and [probably] Peterson. Betting money suggests Kendricks will play, too.
The Vikings must win over Steelers in Week 14 if they hope to keep slim playoffs hope alive. Otherwise, the discrepancy in the win-loss standing between the Vikings, 49ers, and Washington Football team will grow further apart.
Minnesota is [somehow] favored by three points to topple Pittsburgh.
Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen are unlikely to play. The statuses of Christian Darrisaw and Everson Griffen are undetermined. Danielle Hunter and Irv Smith Jr. remain out for the season.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
Also Read: Get Ready for Vikings Games in Primetime
You must be logged in to post a comment.