2 Popular Vikings on Track for Sunday after Injuries
The Minnesota Vikings, seeking homefield advantage throughout the postseason, will host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, a team that just totally thumped the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
2 Popular Vikings on Track for Sunday after Injuries
The Packers cannot win the NFC North, but they, in theory, could get frisky and take the No. 5 Wildcard seed from the Vikings, demoting Minnesota to No. 6 if so.
And all signs point to two healthy, crucial Vikings defenders returning to action this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Ivan Pace Jr.
The second-year linebacker has missed the last four games due to a hamstring injury but is trending in the right direction for Week 17.
Minnesota opened Pace Jr.’s practice window this week after a four-game absence on injured reserve, and head coach Kevin O’Connell sounded optimistic about his return after the Week 16 win at Seattle.
“We’re going to open his window, and we’ll see how he progresses. Coming off a hamstring, you just never quite know. I don’t want to be absolute, but the plan is — as of right now — to open his window, get him some work, and then hopefully have him available,” O’Connell told reporters.
The Vikings habitually “take it easy” with injury recoveries, so O’Connell’s words sounded especially optimistic. If Pace Jr. were not heading in the right direction for the Packers’ tilt, O’Connell’s verbiage would’ve sounded more judicious and guarded.
Without Pace Jr., Minnesota has leaned into help from veterans Kamu Grugier-Hill and Jamin Davis, who have played well — but aren’t quite as ferocious as Pace Jr.
Watch the daily injury reports this week to confirm Pace Jr.’s status. But he should be back Sunday.
Harrison Smith
Smith missed his first game of the season last weekend, inconvenient timing because the man was 0-5 in games at Seattle. Then, the Vikings won without him.
However, O’Connell said after the dub that Smith’s foot injury was “very short term.” Smith does not have a history of prolonged injury stints, increasing his capability of playing versus the Packers.
Moreover, Smith could be playing his final two regular season games in the NFL; the man is 35, and 2024 could be his final campaign. This could be his final home game and last meeting against the purple team’s most hated foe.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis tweeted after Sunday’s win: “Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said Harrison Smith’s injury is very short term. They’re expecting to have him for GB. Also sounds like Ivan Pace Jr.’s return is looming.”
Minnesota will need a full-strength defense to subdue the hot Packers.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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