Coming off an ugly Week 5 win over the Detroit Lions, the Vikings travel to Charlotte this weekend to take on a 3-2 Panthers squad.
A win is a win, as they say, but the Vikings haven’t been able to play complementary football all season. One week the offense is on fire, the next week the defense holds their opponents to under 17 points, but the two have yet to come together.
This week is going to be a tough challenge for the Vikings, and a lengthy injury report could make things even more difficult.
Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Anthony Barr, Michael Pierce and Everson Griffen were all held out of Wednesday’s practice, with running back Dalvin Cook marked as limited.
The injury report includes the three headed monster that brings the majority of splash plays to the offense with Jefferson, Thielen and Cook all banged up. It’s still early in the week, but Kirk Cousins would have a tough day against a strong Carolina defense if even one of these players ends up not playing.
On defense Barr and Pierce make a huge difference in the run game, and it sounds like the Panthers are gearing up for Christian McCaffrey to play on Sunday. One of the league’s best running backs going up against a run defense allowing 4.7 yards per carry could be a recipe for disaster.
Like I said, it’s still early in the week and a lot can change between now and Sunday. The Vikings are desperately going to need most of the players listed today to play if they want any chance at keeping their season alive.
For more Vikings related news make sure to tune into KFAN 100.3 and stay up to date on KFAN.com.