Category: Minnesota Vikings

Vikings WR Adam Thielen returns to practice

Thielen looks on track to play on Monday Night Football against the Seahawks in Week 13.

Good news for Vikings fans.

After being in and out of the lineup with a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 7, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen was back at practice on Tuesday, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

Thielen looks on track to play on Monday Night Football against the Seahawks in Week 13.

Guard Josh Kline (concussion) was also back at practice.

Those not practicing included nose tackle Linval Joseph, defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, linebacker Ben Gedeon, safety Anthony Harris, defensive end Everson Griffen and safety Harrison Smith.

We know that Joseph is still recovering from a knee surgery, Gedeon is dealing with a concussion and Harris missed Week 11 with a groin injury.

We still have six days until the Vikings kick off against the Seahawks, so probably nothing to look too much into quite yet.

Report: Vikings WR Chad Beebe (ankle) done for 2019 season

Beebe had won the team’s third wide receiver spot, but hurt his ankle just three games into the season.

Another injury-riddled season for Vikings wide receiver Chad Beebe.

The second-year receiver will miss the entire 2019 season after undergoing ankle surgery, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.

Beebe, who had won Minnesota’s third receiver spot going into the season, appeared in three games this season and had two catches for 70 yards before injuring his ankle.

He was placed on the IR and there was an outside chance he could return, but that won’t be the case.

Beebe is under contract through the 2020 season for just $660,000. The Vikings could release him with no penalty, however.

There’s plenty of talent with Beebe. He’s a shifty receiver on a cheap contract. Health through two seasons, though, has been an issue.

Vikings cut WR Josh Doctson, sign LB Cameron Smith

Doctson’s time in Minnesota didn’t have a lot of memories.

The Josh Doctson experiment is over in Minnesota.

On Tuesday, the team announced it had released the receiver who had been active for just one game. He was hurt most of the year with a hamstring injury after the Vikings signed him after he was released by the Washington Redskins.

This likely means that Adam Thielen is ready to return from a hamstring injury for Monday Night Football in Week 13 against the Seahawks.

Taking Doctson’s spot on the roster will be linebacker Cameron Smith. Smith was a fifth-round pick out of USC. He spent time on the active roster and the team’s practice squad. With Ben Gedeon dealing with another concussoin, this is a move that makes sense.

And to fill Smith’s spot on the practice squad, the Vikings have signed fullback Johnny Stanton to the practice squad. Stanton, a former Nebraska quarterback, spent some time with the Vikings this offseason as well.

Vikings drop spot in Week 12 power rankings

Despite not playing in Week 12, the Vikings fell from eighth to ninth in USA TODAY’s Week 12 power rankings. At 8-3, I would make the argument that the Vikings were big winners over the weekend. The Packers got absolutely thumped on Sunday Night …

Despite not playing in Week 12, the Vikings fell from eighth to ninth in USA TODAY’s Week 12 power rankings.

At 8-3, I would make the argument that the Vikings were big winners over the weekend. The Packers got absolutely thumped on Sunday Night Football, tying them for the division lead with the Vikings at 8-3 (the Packers have the tiebreaker, but the two teams face off in Week 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium). The Rams also fell to the Ravens on Monday Night Football and now the Vikings have a full two-game lead over the Rams for the final wild card spot.

The Vikings will have their hands full in Week 13, going up against the 9-2 Seahawks. Seattle ranks fifth in both the rankings and in the NFC standings.

To round out the NFC North, the Packers rank sixth, the Bears rank 22nd and the Lions rank 30th.

Rams loss gives Vikings full 2-game lead in wild card chase

Per FiveThirtyEight, the loss drops the Rams’ chances to make the playoffs to just 14 percent.

The Rams got absolutely dominated on Monday Night Football, falling to the Ravens 45-6.

That drops the Rams to 6-5 on the season, now a full game back a playoff spot. The Vikings and Packers are both 8-3.

Per FiveThirtyEight, the loss drops the Rams’ chances to make the playoffs to just 14 percent.

Here’s what the remaining schedules look like for the Rams and Vikings:

Rams Vikings
@Cardinals @Seahawks
vs. Seahawks vs. Lions
@Cowboys @Chargers
@49ers vs. Packers
vs. Cardinals vs. Bears

It’s not a super easy schedule for either team, but it’s hard to imagine the Rams being able to leapfrog the Vikings in the standings, especally after last night’s game.

If the season ended today, the Vikings would be the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs.

 

Vikings work out RBs Johnny Stanton and Ryan Yurachek

The Vikings had a busy Monday, working out four players, including running backs Johnny Stanton and Ryan Yurachek, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

The Vikings had a busy Monday, working out four players, including running backs Johnny Stanton and Ryan Yurachek, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

As Cronin notes, these are likely moves looking ahead, instead of for the 2019 season.

Stanton was a former quarterback at Nebraska while Yurachek has spent time with both the Cowboys, Raiders and Saints.

Report: Vikings work out OL Marcus Martin and Russell Bodine

Fresh off their bye week, the Vikings have worked out offensive linemen Marcus Martin and Russell Bodine, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Fresh off their bye week, the Vikings have worked out offensive linemen Marcus Martin and Russell Bodine, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Martin played from 2014-16 with the 49ers, starting 24 of 26 games. He’s been without a team for the last two seasons. He’s spent time with the Browns, Cowboys and Seahawks over the years, but never landed on the regular-season roster.

As for Bodine, he spent 2014-17 with the Bengals before starting 10 games for the Bills last season.

The Vikings placed Brett Jones (knee) on the IR last week, and guard Josh Kline has been dealing with a concussion.

We’ll see if the Vikings decide to sign either Martin and Bodine to add depth.

Keep an eye on Seahawks DE Jadeveon Clowney before Week 13 game vs. Vikings

Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney missed Sunday’s game against the Eagles with a hip injury.

After being listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Eagles, Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney missed the game with a hip injury.

Clowney received treatment before the game and apparently that treatment didn’t have Clowney feeling any better.

The Seahawks have eight days between the game against the Eagles and Monday night’s game against the Vikings, so Clowney will get plenty of rest.

We’ll know more about this status as the week progresses, but he’s a big-time player who could certainly impact the game if he plays.

Seattle traded for Clowney before the season via the Texans.

Per Pro Football Focus, Clowney grades as the fifth-best edge player in the league with a grade of 89.4

Vikings open as slight underdogs vs. Seahawks in Week 13

The Vikings are 5-11 against the Seahawks and have lost their five last games to Seattle, most recently in a 21-7 loss last season.

The 8-3 Vikings face off against the 9-2 Seahawks in Seattle for Monday Night Football in Week 13.

Per BetMGM, the Vikings open as 2.5-point underdogs. A bet on the Seahawks to cover pays at -121, while a bet on the Vikings to cover pays at +100.

A money line bet on the Vikings pays at +125, while a money line bet on the Seahawks pays at -150.

The over/under in the game is 48.5. A bet on either side of that pays at -110.

The Vikings are 5-11 against the Seahawks and have lost their five last games to Seattle, most recently in a 21-7 loss last season.

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Vikings will be cheering for Ravens on MNF

A Rams loss would give the Vikings a full two-game lead in the NFC wild-card chase.

The 8-3 Vikings didn’t play in Week 12, but they could still come out of the week as winners.

Green Bay’s loss to the 49ers on Sunday night helped the team out.

Now, if the Ravens could beat the 6-4 Rams on Monday Night Football, that would give the Vikings a full two-game lead on the wild card spot.

If the Rams do lose to the Ravens, their playoff chances drop from 25 percent to 16 percent, per FiveThirtyEight. A win would boost them up to 38 percent.

After facing off against the Ravens, the Rams play the Cardinals, Seahawks, Cowboys, 49ers and Cowboys again.