Tag: Ivan Pace Jr.

Vikings place linebacker on IR, sign veteran replacement

The team announced that Ivan Pace Jr. suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and is being placed on Injured Reserve.

The Minnesota Vikings defense has been relatively healthy in 2024. On Sunday against the Bears, however, it suffered its first major injury.

The team announced that Ivan Pace Jr. suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and is being placed on Injured Reserve. He will miss the next four games for the team and in a corresponding move the team removed rookie edge rusher Gabriel Murphy from injured reserve.

While Murphy gives Brian Flores another edge piece, the team is signing a veteran linebacker to replace Pace Jr. on the roster. The team is signing Jamin Davis to the 53-man roster after playing five games for the Washington Commanders in 2024.

Davis has played in 50 career games for the Commanders and totaled 282 tackles and seven sacks in those games. Davis also boasts career PFF grades of 67.5 in run defense, 69.4 in tackling, and 56.9 in pass coverage assignments.

Davis and Murphy are expected to be available to play in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Kevin O’Connell discusses Vikings injuries from Bears win

The Vikings lost Cam Robinson, Ivan Pace, and Jay Ward to injury on Sunday against the Bears. Monday, Kevin O’Connell gave us an “update”.

On the positive side of things, the Minnesota Vikings have reeled off four straight wins after a two-game losing streak. They’re still just one game out of first place in the division, behind the Detroit Lions, and are comfortably in the thick of the NFC playoff picture.

Quarterback Sam Darnold, after a few shaky games in a row, has seemingly come out the other side and has gotten the offense rolling. It was so much so that the Vikings managed to accumulate a 300+ yard passer, 100+ yard rusher, and two 100+ yard receivers in a single game for the first time since 2000.

However, Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Vikings, as a couple of key injuries could hamper the Vikings’ chances going forward. Head coach Kevin O’Connell updated the media on Monday on the conditions of three such players: left tackle Cam Robinson, inside linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., and safety Jay Ward.

Unfortunately, the update wasn’t much of one, as all that O’Connell had to say on the matter was that each player is “in evaluation mode” and declined to provide any further real updates on any of the three. However, O’Connell did clarify that Robinson’s foot injury is a repeat of the injury he suffered in the team’s game against his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Vikings Wire will update you as more information becomes available on Robinson’s, Pace’s, and Ward’s status.

Ivan Pace injury vs. Bears: Latest news on Vikings LB

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr. was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s game vs. the Bears and is questionable to return.

(This story was updated to provide up-to-date information on the player’s injury.)

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a shaky start on Sunday against one of their division rivals, the Chicago Bears. The first quarter was somewhat of a disaster for the Vikings, as running back Aaron Jones fumbled on the Bears’ 2-yard line to kill a drive that could have ended up in an early touchdown.

Things went from bad to worse for the Vikings, as on the ensuing drive, linebacker and last year’s feel-good story Ivan Pace, Jr. was injured. As the Bears were trying to get out of the shadow of their own end zone, they handed the ball off for a short gain. On the ensuing tackle, a pile of players collapsed on Pace, who went down with an apparent leg injury.

Ivan Pace injury update

After Pace went down, trainers came out on the field and examined his leg. Upon replay, it looked like Pace had suffered what could potentially be a significant leg injury. Vikings beat writer for The Athletic Alec Lewis has provided us with an update that Pace Jr. has been ruled out for the remainder of the game against the Bears.

How long will Pace be out?

We’re not going to speculate on any further status at this time, but Vikings Wire will keep you updated with any updates on Pace’s status as they become available.

Vikings linebacker depth chart

With Pace currently out, the Vikings have shifted linebacker Blake Cashman to Pace’s position, with linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill taking over Cashman’s position. The team has also appeared to be using nickelback and all-around defensive chess piece Joshua Metellus more in the wake of Pace’s injury.

Linebacker groups health highlights Wednesday’s injury report

With Jacksonville next on the slate, the Vikings saw three impact players sit out of Wednesday’s practice.

Minnesota will travel to Jacksonville for its next game. The Vikings released their first injury report on Wednesday ahead of the Jaguars’ game and Minnesota had three players not practice.

Linebackers Ivan Pace Jr., Andrew VanGinkel, and center Garrett Bradbury were all OUT. But both Bradbury and VanGinkel didn’t practice due to rest. However, Pace Jr. was listed OUT with a knee injury.

Linebacker Blake Cashman was back in practice but was on a limited basis. Cashman hasn’t played in the last two games, but the Vikings could really use his presence on the field in the coming weeks. Both Akayleb Evans and Gabriel Murphy were listed as limited as well.

Tight end Josh Oliver and safety Theo Jackson were both full participants. Oliver is progressing with his wrist, while Jackson’s hand is progressing, allowing them both to log full practices on Wednesday.

It will be essential to monitor the injury report as Sunday approaches.

Justin Jefferson had a historic day against the Lions in Week 7

With 81 yards receiving on Sunday, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson moved into 6th place on the team’s receiving yards list.

The Minnesota Vikings came up just short in their bid to beat the Detroit Lions in Week 7 and remain one of the league’s two undefeated teams. Despite jumping out to an early 10-0 lead on the Lions, the Vikings gave up three straight scoring drives to fall into a 21-10 hole before mounting a comeback of their own, but ultimately falling just short.

The loss is a tough one for the Vikings and their fans, but it didn’t come without some highlights. There was the continued dominance of edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, a spectacular scoop-and-score fumble return by linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., and a performance by wide receiver Justin Jefferson that saw him climb up the Vikings’ all-time receiving list in two categories.

Early in the third quarter, Jefferson came down with a highlight-reel grab to come down with his fifth touchdown of the season, prompting a “I’m like that!” statement from Jefferson before hitting his patented Griddy celebration.

That touchdown was Jefferson’s 35th of his career, breaking a tie with wide receiver Ahmad Rashad for the seventh-most receiving touchdowns in Minnesota Vikings’ history. But Jefferson’s historic day didn’t end there.

Jefferson ended the day with seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Those 81 yards were good enough to move Jefferson into 6th place all-time on the receiving yards list, passing Sammy White. With just four yards in Thursday’s Week 8 game against the Rams, Jefferson will pass another Vikings’ all-time great, Jake Reed, for fifth place on that list, leaving him behind only Adam Thielen, Anthony Carter, Randy Moss, and Cris Carter.

Jefferson’s 81 yards on Sunday gives him 6,430 yards in his career in just 66 games, giving Jefferson by far the most receiving yards per game (97.7) of any receiver in team history — among receivers with at least double-digit receptions, with Moss a distant second at 82.4.

Vikings getting healthy heading into Week 5 and their Bye Week

The Vikings only had one player sit out of practice on Wednesday.

The 4-0 Minnesota Vikings got wide receiver Jordan Addison back last week and appear to be getting linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. back this week against the New York Jets in London. Kevin O’Connell touched on Pace Jr.’s status this week, and it’s trending toward him playing.

That was noted when the Vikings released their injury report on Wednesday. Pace Jr. was limited, which meant he did participate in practice. Wide receiver Brandon Powell and tight end Josh Oliver were both limited as well, while quarterback Sam Darnold was full go. The only Viking who didn’t practice with the team was cornerback Akayleb Evans.

The Vikings are opening the practice window for tight end T.J. Hockenson on Friday. He is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last December. Hockenson is on track to return to the field in either Week 7 or Week 8.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell reveals good news regarding Ivan Pace Jr.

After missing two games, it sounds promising the Vikings could get their starting LB back.

The Minnesota Vikings have been without starting linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. for the past two weeks after he appeared on the injury report with an ankle injury prior to the Houston Texans game.

But head coach Kevin O’Connell gave Minnesota fans some hope for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

According to O’Connell, Pace Jr. was close to suiting up this past week against the Packers, but the team felt like he needed another week off. Pace Jr. is trending in the right direction for the Vikings’ London game.

Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill has filled in nicely for Pace Jr. during his absence. Grugier-Hill has tallied five tackles and two interceptions during the past two games.

The Vikings had already received positive news this past weekend on the injury front. Since leaving in Week 1 win against the New York Giants, wide receiver Jordan Addison was back in the starting lineup. The second-year star scored two touchdowns during the win over the Packers.

Defense has Vikings in top 5 of NFL analyst’s latest power rankings

Thanks to a sweltering defense led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings have entered the top 5 of new power rankings

It’s not a stretch to say not many — maybe no one — saw a 3-0 start to the season coming for the Minnesota Vikings. Many could have predicted an opening-week victory over the New York Giants. But if you had told someone that the Vikings would go on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans back-to-back, they likely would have laughed at you.

The Vikings’ hot start to the season has a lot to do with another unexpected aspect of the season: high-quality play from quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold has come in and taken to head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense quickly and, in turn, has experienced some of the most success he’s seen in his career.

How well the defense is performing shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has worked wonders with this team’s defense and has them becoming the bane of offensive coordinator’s existence. While their performance may not be surprising, just how good they’re playing shouldn’t be taken for granted.

That defensive performance has the Vikings breaking into the top 5 of the latest power rankings from Sports Illustrated’s NFL analyst Conor Orr. Orr has a glowing review of Flores and what he’s doing with the 2024 Minnesota Vikings defense, saying:

What has been masterful about Brian Flores’s defensive performances to me is that, like some of the other Bill Belichick disciples who have left New England only to commit the same sins—loading up on former Patriots, paying them big money and trying to run the same defense—Flores has loaded up on former Dolphins and Patriots. However, he has taken those players and plugged them into a whirlwind defensively that is zigging while the rest of the NFL is sitting in Cover 2 and praying for no big plays (sorry gang, Andy Dalton is back and that’s not gonna happen). While it’s harder to maintain a great offense than a great defense, and at some point the referees and the league will step in to goose scoring, we need to take note of how wonderful and maddening this defense has been over the course of three games.

Two former Dolphins — edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill — were instrumental in the Vikings’ upset victory over the Texans on Saturday. Van Ginkel, the Vikings’ leading tackler on the day, was all over the field for the Vikings’ defense, making tackles at every level, including getting one sack on Texans’ quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Grugier-Hill stepped in on short notice to fill in for an injured Ivan Pace, Jr. and made several key plays for the defense. In the first quarter, Grugier-Hill came down with a huge interception after defensive tackle Harrison Phillips tipped the Stroud pass, ending Stroud’s NFL-leading consecutive passes without an interception streak.

It was a dominating performance all around, and that has been the case all season long for the Vikings, as it was to close out the season in 2023. The Vikings defense kept Minnesota in a number of games that they probably had no right being in, and kept the team in the playoff race for far longer than they should have been given the injuries and offensive struggles they experienced.

Now that the offense has at least somewhat caught up to the defense, the Vikings could be a dangerous team from now on.

Vikings get good news on the injury front regarding Sam Darnold

The injuries are mounting for the Minnesota Vikings, but they got some good news on three players who missed Sunday’s game, and their QB.

The NFL season is the ultimate grind in sports, and no team comes through it unscathed. Injuries are a part of the game and something that every team has to deal with to varying degrees during the season. The injuries are starting to mount for the Minnesota Vikings, but they got good positive news on Monday.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell told the press on Monday that wide receiver Jordan Addison, linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., and edge rusher Dallas Turner are all day-to-day with their injuries, but the coach “sounded optimistic on all,” according to Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis.

All three players missed Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, but the Vikings were able to get strong contributions from players in their absence. Wide receiver Jalen Nailor stepped up in the absence of Addison, catching three of his four targets for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was one of the studs of the week for the Vikings in place of Pace, notching a big interception, defending another pass, and making several nice open-field tackles. At the same time, free agent acquisition Jonathan Greenard had a huge day against his former team, notching three sacks on the day and ensuring the Vikings didn’t miss their first-round pick, Turner.

The Vikings got more good news on the injury front, as the team revealed that quarterback Sam Darnold suffered a bruised knee in the game on Sunday and avoided any structural damage. Darnold isn’t expected to miss any time with the injury and should be good to continue a season that could wind up being his career-best when all is said and done.

Vikings announce inactives for their Week 3 matchup against the Texans

The Vikings head into their Week 3 matchup against the Broncos with a lot more notable names on the inactive report than in previous weeks. 

The Minnesota Vikings head into their Week 3 matchup against the Denver Broncos with a lot more notable names on the inactive report than in previous weeks.

The leading name on the report is wide receiver Jordan Addison, who is still nursing an ankle injury he suffered in Week 1. Another notable name joining him this week is rookie Dallas Turner, who has played well for the team this season.

The complete inactive list also includes linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., quarterback Brett Rypien, cornerback Dwight McGlothern, defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez, and offensive tackle Walter Rouse.

The team will have Jalen Nailor, Brian O’Neill, and Andrew Van Ginkel who were all on the injury report earlier this week but have since been cleared. Many of them were listed for nagging injuries rather than anything that may impede their performances in Week 3.

The Vikings and Texans will kick off at 1 p.m./Noon. Both teams look to remain undefeated through the first three weeks of the season.