Vikings WR Adam Thielen inactive for 5th straight game
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) grimaces in pain after making a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Sunday, October 20, 2019 (Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto v (Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions at noon Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, and they’ll be without one of their top receivers for the fifth straight game.
The Vikings declared Adam Thielen among their inactives 90 minutes before kickoff. He’s been dealing with a hamstring injury suffered when the Vikings won at Detroit back in Week 7. He tried to play two weeks later at Kansas City and was on the field for two offensive drives before sitting out the rest of the game.
The hope was that Thielen would be back at Seattle after resting during Minnesota’s bye week, but he couldn’t play. Thielen did not practice this week, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said Thursday, “he’s getting really close.”
“He’s frustrated, I think he’s going to get an opportunity this week so we’ll see. He’s working real hard and he obviously wants to get out there with his guys. He’s a great competitor, he loves to compete. It is what it is,” Zimmer said Thursday. “It doesn’t do us any good to think about what if or anything like that. When he’s ready, he’s ready, he’ll get in there and he’ll play. If he’s not ready, he won’t play.”
Thielen has had multiple MRIs since his original injury. Thielen wants to play, but the team wants him to be 100 percent healthy as they battle for playoff positioning with three of their final four games at home, all against NFC North Division opponents. That starts Sunday with the Lions.