Even with the up-and-down nature of the Minnesota Vikings season through 14 weeks and the hope of a playoff appearance fading fast, the Vikings are still in the hunt for one of the final NFC playoff spots entering Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season.
After taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 14, the year is still up for grabs for Minnesota now going into the final four weeks of the regular season schedule. One of the topics league-wide going into Week 15 has been the sudden addition of key players throughout the NFL to the COVID-19 list, something that is starting to become an issue for multiple teams.
Among the teams most heavily impacted by the addition of players to the COVID list are the Vikings, who have had a few more players appear on the list while looking like they will miss at least the Week 15 contest against a divisional opponent. Those additions will end up impacting Minnesota’s game on the national stage of Monday Night Football and could also impact the postseason picture along the way.
Additions to COVID List Will Impact Minnesota Vikings Roster in Week 15
Players Added to COVID-19 List
There are other teams in the NFL who are in a worse COVID list situation than Minnesota at the midway point of the week leading into Week 15, including the Washington Football Team, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams all who have around a dozen players on their lists. Next up on that growing list is Minnesota, which as of Wednesday, Dec. 15 had seven players listed on the COVID-19 list.
Some of the players included from the Minnesota Vikings roster are some key contributors as well, which makes things difficult for the team in the home stretch of the year. The full list as of Dec. 15 includes:
- Alexander Mattison, running back
- AJ Rose Jr., running back
- Dede Westbrook, wide receiver
- Dan Chisena, wide receiver
- Trishton Jason, wide receiver
- Danielle Hunter, defensive end
- Kyle Hinton, offensive guard
At first glance, the biggest names on that list are Mattison and Hunter, although Hunter has already been ruled out for the remainder of the year due to injury. Another key contributor on the list is Westbrook, who was potentially looking for an expanded role in Week 15 with questions surrounding receive Adam Thielen and his return from an ankle injury.
Mattison is the biggest loss for Minnesota, as he has been a solid player to back up Dalvin Cook out of the backfield. With the news of Mattison, Minnesota claimed Wayne Gallman as an emergency option to fill the running back depth while Mattison tries to get back to the field.
Although the seven names on the COVID list aren’t star players like other NFL teams have seen appear on their lists, we have seen these lists quickly grow over the last few days which could make the Vikings situation that much more concerning.
Impact on Week 15, NFC Playoff Picture
With the absence of at least seven players from the Minnesota Vikings roster on the COVID list, that will obviously have an impact on the upcoming game in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. With the playoffs still in reach for Minnesota, it needs to do all it can to make a late season push into the postseason picture.
As mentioned, the players listed — so far — aren’t huge names, which is a good sign for Minnesota for now. Even if it stays that way, however, the Vikings depth will get tested against Chicago which might make things tough for the purple and gold throughout the divisional matchup.
It goes without question, Minnesota needs a win in Week 15 and will need to put a strong finish to the regular season together in order to push into the playoffs. Going into Week 15, the Vikings are on the bubble of the NFC playoff picture with a record of 6-7 overall, sitting behind the Los Angeles Rams (9-4), San Francisco 49ers (7-6) and Washington Football Team (6-7) in the Wild Card slots. Minnesota is also in the hunt along with teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles (6-7), Atlanta Falcons (6-7), New Orleans Saints (6-7), Carolina Panthers (5-8) and Seattle Seahawks (5-8) for those three Wild Card positions.
Not only is the Week 15 contest the first of two against a divisional rival like Chicago, which makes the game important to begin with, but a lot could ride on what Minnesota does and if it comes out on top on the national stage this week. But along with that sense of importance and urgency, the Vikings now have a growing COVID list that will impact things this week and possibly for the rest of the season.
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