Week 16 Vikings Injury Report: Bradbury is Out, Two Defenders Questionable

Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) is tackled by Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos (31) and free safety Darnell Savage (26) after scooping up a fumble on Sunday, January 2, 2022, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

Both the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants have released their final injury reports for Week 16, and there are three Vikings with injury statuses ahead of Christmas Eve’s showdown, and the Vikings have already announced that Garrett Bradbury is out. The full list of injuries for Week 16 are as follows:

  • C Garrett Bradbury- Back (OUT)
  • CB Cam Dantzler- Ankle (QUESTIONABLE)
  • LB Eric Kendricks- Hip (QUESTIONABLE)

It is official that Garrett Bradbury will miss his third consecutive game with his back injury that has hampered him for the better part of a month. The injury was reaggravated by a car accident suffered following last weekend’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, which surely didn’t help matters. In his place, Austin Schlottmann will make another start.

Garrett Bradbury is Out
Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury. (John Autey / Pioneer Press).

On the other side of the ball, two Vikings defenders are questionable in cornerback Cam Dantzler and linebacker Eric Kendricks. Dantzler continues to work through his ankle sprain that landed him on IR earlier in the year. He attempted to play on it in Week 14 against the Lions, but he did not play in Week 15 against the Colts. Rather, Duke Shelley made his first start of the season. If need be, Shelley could make another start this weekend.

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As for Kendricks, he is fighting through a hip injury that has landed him on the previous two injury reports as limited. Because of the injury, we may see rookie linebacker Brian Asamoah play even more. He played 21 defensive snaps against the Colts in Week 15, a career high for the 2022 third-round pick.

On the other sideline, the New York Giants will be without two players. Both CB Adoree Jackson and G Shane Lemieux will miss Saturday’s game due to injury. Jackson has missed each of the last five games for the Giants because of his knee injury, and Lemieux has only played in Week 11 this year. This week, he is dealing with a toe injury.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday’s game between the two teams could go a long way towards determining the playoff seeds in the NFC. The Giants suddenly find themselves in a spot to potentially catch the Cowboys for the top wild card spot, especially if Dallas falls to Philadelphia this weekend. Meanwhile, the Vikings are looking to hold onto the No. 2 seed and stave off the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners are hosting the Washington Commanders this weekend, and that game should be a close matchup as well.

In fact, there’s even a chance that this could be a playoff preview between these two teams. Especially if the Vikings fall to the No. 3 seed by the time December rolls around, there’s a very good chance that these two teams meet in the Wild Card round. The Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants are scheduled to face off on Saturday, December 24th at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff for the game between the two playoff contenders is scheduled for 12 PM CST.

Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.