Oct 4, 2024; Watford, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) during practice at The Grove. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
First, one must subtract season-ending injuries to J.J. McCarthy, Christian Darrisaw, and Mekhi Blackmon from the memory bank. And maybe sweep Will Reichard’s quad injury under the rug.
If that’s possible, the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 11 injury report continues to look fantastic, with no players hanging in the balance to miss Sunday’s tilt at the Tennessee Titans.
The club posted a Thursday injury report three days before the Week 11 bout, and no players carried Did Not Practice (DNP) labels. Of all players available and those not on Injured Reserve, the week will be healthy for the Vikings.
Here are the Thursday details:
The trend is positive for Tennessee, and if any man is to miss the game, one or two would probably have been assigned a DNP by now. Friday’s injury report will render a final verdict on any Questionable game statuses.
When the calendar flipped to this week, most eyes turned to Jones, the team’s RB1, for injuries. He took a shot in the ribs during the Vikings’ sloppy triumph over the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend but later returned to the game. Because of his age and injury history, fans wondered if Jones might miss Titans-Vikings, which now doesn’t seem likely.
In fact, Jones went out of his way to comment on his positive health after Week 10. “We did an X-ray, a little sore now, but not near as bad as I thought it was gonna be from the initial hit,” Jones told reporters after the 12-7 triumph.
“I thought it might’ve cracked something. But I’m good. God’s good. He had his protection on me. It’s not the prettiest, but we got it done.”
Meanwhile, Darnold injured his throwing hand on Sunday while trying to help tackle a defender who ripped off one of his passes. The veteran passer finished the game, too, but as a procedural matter, folks have monitored the injury report to ensure his Week 11 green light. Otherwise, Minnesota would turn to Nick Mullens, the QB2, if Darnold missed time.
The Vikings are favored to defeat the Titans by six points.
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.