Adam Thielen
Dalvin Cook did his damndest to emulate Willis Reed on Thursday, and that set a high bar for the rest of his team.
Thankfully for Cook and the Vikings, the fifth-year running back was magnificent against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, gashing Mike Tomlin’s team for 222 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. The Vikings won in [another] thriller 34-26 over the now 6-6-1 Steelers.
Cook was vital for Minnesota’s Week 14 triumph. He personally set the tone for the offense while quarterback Kirk Cousins connected for two crucial scores on a relatively pedestrian night for the Vikings signal-caller. Some even chided Cousins for the performance, probably because it was his first two-interception game of 2021.
Here’s the deal: When Adam Thielen, who was injured versus the Detroit Lions, is not in the game, Klint Kubiak, Kirk Cousins, and the Vikings offense try to press the ball to Justin Jefferson. This is not complicated. In fact, Cousins was under 50% for completion percentage for only the sixth time amid his 10-season career. Miraculously, the Vikings still won. Here’s why it felt noteworthy:
In forcing the ball to Jefferson — which kind of worked against the Steelers but not really — the question is asked: When does Adam Thielen return? That’ll be on Vikings fans’ minds until Monday Night Football on 12/20.
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Thielen sprained his ankle against the Lions in Week 13, throwing a wrench into the Vikings plans on that Sunday and more globally for the rest of the season. Usually with a high ankle sprain like Thielen’s, the prognosis for return is 2-3 weeks. Some of them linger — like Christian McCaffrey or Saquon Barkley — and fantasy football participants will talk your ear off on the topic.
The injury to Thielen’s ankle transpired on December 5th. A game four days later, like the Steelers showdown, was emphatically too soon for a return unless the stakes were something wacky like a Super Bowl (and Thielen sprained the ankle in practice). Then, he might pull a Dalvin Cook maneuver and gut it out. He probably would.
But the typical timetable for Thielen’s injury plops the conversation right on top of the Vikings next game on December 20th at Chicago — or the following Sunday, December 26th, at home versus the Los Angeles Rams.
The meeting with the Bears will feel like a playoff game for the Vikings. However, which of the last 10 or so Vikings games hasn’t felt like a postseason affair with all the thrills, letdowns, and tribulations?
This is the math on the importance of the Bears game:
Unless the Vikings ponder shutting down Thielen for the season — that is unlikely — he should reasonably return for Monday Night Football at Chicago or the following week against the Rams.
All indications point to Thielen’s injury not of “this guy has been out forever” variety. Although, those occurrences for high ankle sprains are prevalent in sports.
Expect the “will he play or won’t he” on Thielen’s availability to heat up in the middle of next week.
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).