Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell delivers brutal news ahead of border battle vs. Packers, while confirming Kirk Cousins’ status
We knew that the Minnesota Vikings were going to be hurt this week, but we didn’t
The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon, and it could be a determining factor in who wins the NFC North.
We knew that the Vikings were going to be banged up overall, but they are going to be without more than just Kyler Murray. They will have five starters out, and they all come at important positions. Luckily for the Vikings, they will have Kirk Cousins ready to step in, as head coach Kevin O’Connell named him the starter on Friday afternoon.
“Kirk Cousins will start the football game,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell. “Cannot give him enough credit for coming in here [and] how he’s gone about the week, both him and the coaching staff getting him ready to go. It’s been really impressive what he’s been able to do, and just the command getting right back in the huddle with a lot of guys he’s played with, but certainly some guys he hasn’t, and it’s been something that everybody’s been very, very impressed by.”
We figured that Cousins would get the start, but the multitude of other players being injured makes things that much more difficult. Here is the full list of injuries for both teams.
Vikings Friday injury report
| Player | Injury | W/T/F | Designation |
| LB Blake Cashman | Concussion | DNP/DNP/Limited | Out |
| TE T.J. Hockenson | Wrist/Chest | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins | Ankle | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| WR Jauan Jennings | Calf | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| QB Kyler Murray | Hamstring | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| EDGE Kyle Van Noy | Calf | DNP/DNP/Limited | Questionable |
| S Jay Ward | Knee | Limited/Limited/Full | — |
| QB Carson Wentz | Ankle | Limited/Limited/Full | — |
| S Theo Jackson | QUad | Full/Full/Full | — |
| WR Jordan Addison | Thumb | None/None/Limited | Questionable |
| LT Christian Darrisaw | NIR-Rest | None/None/Limited | — |
| S Josh Metellus | Shoulder | None/None/DNP | Questionable |
| S Harrison Smith | NIR-Rest | None/None/Limited | — |
Observations
- The T.J. Hockenson injury keeping him out is a little bit of a surprise.
“T.J.’s injury occurred early on in the football game, and he was able to play through it, which is an encouraging thing about moving forward. Don’t really have any thoughts on next week yet. But TJ, he’s a tough guy. He wants to be out there so badly, and you know, hopefully we can have him back next week,” said O’Connell. - Blake Cashman might be the one player the Vikings can least afford to lose. He is the engine behind everything they do. Ivan Pace Jr. has a lot on his plate.
- Caleb Banks is also set to see a return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Monday night.
“He’ll be up, and he’s going to play a ton this week. I think a lot of times for for specifically just his journey from pre draft, post draft, it’s a lot, and it was it was a football decision based upon what the defensive coaches thought was best for that game, but he’s absolutely going to be a huge part this week, and we’ll be continuously moving forward for sure. Glad you asked about that,” said O’Connell.
Packers Friday injury report
| Player | Injury | W/T/F | Designation |
| G Aaron Banks | Knee/Hip | Limited/Limited/Limited | — |
| RB Chris Brooks | Ankle | Limited/Limited/Limited | Questiononable |
| S Javon Bullard | Ankle/Knee | DNP/DNP/Limited | Questionable |
| LB Zaire Franklin | Shin | DNP/DNP/DNP | Doubtful |
| OL Travis Glover | Knee | Limited/Limited/Limited | Questionable |
| LB Ty’Ron Hopper | Illness | Limited/Limited/Full | — |
| RB Josh Jacobs | Finger | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| S Xavier McKinney | Foot | None/None/Limited | Questionable |
| WR Bo Melton | Gameday Concussion Protocol Eval. | Full/None/None | — |
| WR Skyy Moore | Ankle | Limited/Limited/Limited | Questionable |
| EDGE Micah Parsons | Knee/illness | Limited/Limited/Limited | Out |
| C/G Sean Rhyan | Ankle | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| K Trey Smack | Right Calf | Limited/Full/Full | — |
| EDGE Lukas Van Ness | Back | DNP/DNP/Limited | Questionable |
| TE Josh Whyle | Concussion | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| WR Savion Williams | Groin | Limited/Limited/Limited | — |
| OG Kevin Zeitler | Ankle/Triceps | Limited/Limited/DNP | Questionable |
Observations
- The Packers have a lot of injuries. Luckily for the Vikings, Micah Parsons is still not quite ready to go. He obliterated them in the first matchup last season.
- Xavier McKinney being a late addition is very concerning for Green Bay. He’s a major part of why the defense is as good as it is.
