Vikings final injury report continues to raise major concerns ahead of Week 1 vs. Bears
Some major concerns remain heading into Monday night.
The Minnesota Vikings’ final injury report ahead of the 2025 season debut against the Chicago Bears continues to leave major questions, but it does provide a couple of important answers.
Wide receiver Jalen Nailor and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel were removed from the injury report, but four players still remain.
| Player | Injury | Status |
| EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel | Neck | Off Injury Report |
| WR Jalen Nailor | Hand | Off Injury Report |
| LT Christian Darrisaw | Knee | Questionable |
| S Harrison Smith | Illness | Doubtful |
| RB Zavier Scott | Ankle | Out |
| DL Elijah Williams | Hamstring | Out |
Christian Darrisaw and Harrison Smith uncertain for Week 1
“Harrison Smith did take part in practice today on a limited basis. He’ll have a doubtful game status designation,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell. “And Xavier Scott and Elijah Williams will be out for the football game, and Christian Darrisaw will be questionable after getting in a full day today. So other than that, no other players will go in with designations. Really proud of our team and the work we put into practice for the divisional opener on the road.”
Its great that both Nailor and Van Ginkel will be ready for week one. The wide receiver room won’t be a major concern while Jordan Addison begins his three-game suspension, especially after they traded for Adam Thielen.
Even with the good news, there are still major question marks on the roster. We won’t be seeing either Scott nor Williams due to their injuries. It’s worth noting that both players were more than likely going to be inactive on Monday night anyway, but this makes it official.
Where things continue to be the most murky is with both Darrisaw and Smith. We’ve talked about at length over the last few months due to his recovery from a torn ACL and MCL that he suffered at the end of October. They have been very meticulous about his entire rehab, but he is 10 months removed from the injury itself. He should be good-to-g0, but if he isn’t, that raises other questions, especially those about how the Vikings conducted his rehab.
Smith being doubtful shouldn’t be a major surprise. He hasn’t practiced much over the last month with an illness, the origin of which is rather mysterious. We don’t know what the illness is, as the only clarification we’ve gotten is that it’s not mental health-related.
On the Bears’ side, there are two major injuries to monitor on defense. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson is questionable with his groin and calf injuries. Plus, T.J. Edwards is doubtful with a hamstring injury. Their linebacker room isn’t the strongest, which could be a brutal loss for Dennis Allen’s unit.
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