Injuries Remain a Key Issue on the Vikings’ Roster Ahead of Week 2
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing to head into a Sunday Night Football battle with the Atlanta Falcons this weekend.
It marks the team’s second consecutive primetime game to begin the season after they defeated the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football just four days ago. However, this time around, the Vikings will have to overcome adversity as injuries have popped up all over the roster ahead of Week 2.
Injuries to Key Players on the Vikings’ Roster
The Vikings released their second injury report of the week on Thursday, which listed a whopping 12 players on it.
Among those names, four players did not participate in practice due to their injuries:
- C Ryan Kelly (Toe)
- CB Jeff Okudah (Concussion)
- TE Josh Oliver (Ankle)
- OLB Andrew Van Ginkel (Concussion)
QB J.J. McCarthy was also listed as a DNP as his fiancée went into labor.
As for the injuries to the Vikings, news only got worse when Minnesota announced that both RB Ty Chandler and LB Blake Cashman were also placed on injured reserve.
In addition, safety Harrison Smith was listed as a limited participant once again as he continues to battle a personal health matter. The safety missed Week 1 because of the injury, which resulted in Theo Jackson playing every defensive snap and Jay Ward also getting 25 snaps on defense, a new career-high.
A new name was also added to the injury report as Isaiah Rodgers was a limited participant due to an elbow injury.
These injuries come as Minnesota prepare to play an Atlanta Falcons team that brings explosive playmaking ability on the offensive side of the ball. As a result, Minnesota will need other names to step up.
If Van Ginkel were to miss the game, it officially puts a spotlight on Dallas Turner, who has been somewhat hidden on the roster behind Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. Turner once again played less than 50% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps in Week 1, totaling 29. He recorded three tackles over the course of the game.
At cornerback, there has been a notable lack of depth at the position all offseason, and that only became more apparent when the Vikings opted to keep just four corners on their initial 53-man roster.
The Vikings will certainly elevate a CB from their practice squad if both Okudah and Rodgers are forced to miss Sunday night’s game. Fabian Moreau, Zemaiah Vaugh, or the recently signed Tyrek Funderbunk would be candidates to be elevated to the active roster.
Finally, the center position could belong to Michael Jurgens if Ryan Kelly were to miss the game. It would be Jurgens’ first time playing snaps with the offense if he were to get the call.
Ultimately, there are a lot of roster decisions to be made in Minnesota ahead of Sunday night. Another injury report will be released on Friday.
Kickoff between the Falcons and Vikings is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. inside U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, September 14 as Minnesota hopes to improve to 2-0.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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