The Minnesota Vikings earned a galvanizing victory Sunday, facing a desperate Seattle Seahawks team on the road, with all the crowd noise and weather that comes with a typical December game at Lumen Field.
The Vikings won this crucial 27-24 victory without one of their most important defensive players and overall team leader.
Harrison Smith, a franchise icon who played his entire 13-year NFL career for Minnesota, missed his first game of the season because of a foot problem. He was held out last week despite injury tests during Friday’s practice and a questionable designation over the weekend.
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Smith is one of several Vikings players trying to get healthy enough to participate in this week’s monster NFC North matchup with the arch-rival Green Bay Packers. A win on Sunday would turn Minnesota’s Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field into a head-to-head matchup for the division title and No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
The Vikings did not practice Wednesday as players had the day off to celebrate Christmas with their families. However, the team had to announce a estimated practice report. Here are Minnesota’s most notable injured players and what they’re facing as the team prepares for Packers Week at US Bank Stadium:
S Harrison Smith
The aforementioned veteran safety was listed as “did not participate” (DNP) on Wednesday’s injury report. Although not a good sign for a player who missed the previous week’s game, the Vikings limited Smith’s practice reps throughout the second half of the season in an effort to keep the player 35 year old as rested and healthy as possible. In a normal week, Smith would practice Wednesday and Thursday before taking Friday off, so a DNP to start the week, even without practice, is a situation worth monitoring.
DT Jalen Redmond
The Vikings missed out on Redmond in the Seattle game, as the undrafted rising star was held out a short week after entering the NFL’s concussion protocol. Redmond had earned back-to-back starts before the injury, helping to bolster the team’s run defense. He was assessed as a limited participant on Wednesday, indicating he is on track to return. Jihad Ward saw his highest number of defensive snaps (51) of the season in the Seattle game, so it remains to be seen how the reps are distributed between Redmond, Ward and Jerry Tillery.
LB Ivan Pace Jr.
Another undrafted find and diamond in the rough for Minnesota, Pace has been on injured reserve and out of the lineup since Week 12 due to a hamstring injury. The Vikings opened its 21-day training window this week, and Pace was rated highly on Wednesday. Barring a loss, the Vikings could welcome back a key piece of the second level of their defense, just in time for the final stretch of the season.
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