Vikings Have Hope for Adam Thielen on MNF
Dustin Baker
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For Monday Night Football in Week 15, don’t rule out Adam Thielen just yet — especially after the theatrics Dalvin Cook displayed in Week 14.
The Vikings are up against it for playoff desperation, needing to win three out of their final four games to reach the postseason. And that’s the primary reason Cook played versus the Steelers one week ago — backs against the wall.
Over the last week, in the wake of the victory against Pittsburgh, mystery has shrouded Thielen’s availability. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 13 during an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions. Usually, high ankle sprains sideline players for at least two weeks and generally more. Fantasy football participants can tell lengthy tales about such injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley over the last few years.
On Thursday, though, the first glimmer of optimism illuminated hope Thielen could play on Monday. The words came from Mike Zimmer’s lips.
Zimmer spoke similar predictions about Dalvin Cook after the San Francisco 49ers game, and everybody considered him nuts. Lo and behold, Cook played much sooner than anticipated.
The moral of the story? It is still unlikely for Thielen to see the field in Chicago — but this Zimmer tidbit is a source of hope. Thielen is a tough guy, a gamer, all the fancy nouns for strong-willed athletes. Too, Cook set the bar rather high with his Willis Reed moment in Week 14.
So, just like the Cook matter, Thielen’s prospect to play is a true wait-and-see. The takeaway from Zimmer’s comments, however, is emphatically not to rule Thielen out entirely for Monday night.
If Thielen is a no-go, Kirk Cousins and the Vikings will lean heavily on second-year wideout K.J. Osborn (in addition to Justin Jefferson, of course), who has authored dazzling, clutch moments in 2021. He seized a walkoff touchdown out of the sky a couple of months ago to defeat the Carolina Panthers on the road. Against the Steelers last week, the bomb he caught from Cousins resulting in a touchdown was the only thing preventing Minnesota from owning the biggest regular-season meltdown in NFL history. Kind of a big deal.
Even with a flurry of COVID absences upcoming, the Vikings are gaining strength from a health perspective, particularly on defense. Danielle Hunter isn’t coming back in 2021, but the other playmakers are steadily returning.
Thielen could be the cake topper for return-to-health if he’s able to play at Soldier Field. Zimmer seems to think it’s possible.
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).
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