The Minnesota Vikings placed wide receiver Adam Thielen on injured reserve on Wednesday, dealing another blow to the team’s faint playoff hopes.
According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, Thielen underwent season-ending ankle surgery on Tuesday. Thielen suffered a left ankle sprain during the opening drive of a loss to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 5. After missing two games, Thielen returned during Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams but aggravated the injury in the second quarter.
Thielen finishes the season with 67 receptions for 726 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns in 13 games.
His presence will be missed for a Vikings team that not only needs a win against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night to keep their playoff win alive but could see top cornerback Jaire Alexander, who was activated off injured reserve on Wednesday morning.
The good news is that the Vikings should have Dalvin Cook back after he was activated from the COVID-19/reserve list. Cook has been following the protocols for unvaccinated players this season and was subject to a 10-day quarantine after testing positive for the virus late last week.
But after the NFL changed its protocols to reduce the quarantine for asymptomatic players to five days, Cook should have a full week of practice leading up to Sunday’s game.
The Vikings are 7-8 and are a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles for the final playoff spot in the NFC.
