Getty Adam Thielen of the Minnesota Vikings got stitches in his ankle after an injury at practice Wednesday. Will he play vs the 49ers Saturday? (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings have one of the best wide receiving tandems in the NFL in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs — and both of them have missed practice this week leading up to their crucial NFC Divisional matchup against the San Francisco 49ers Saturday. While neither absence is particularly alarming, both are still worth noting and keeping an eye on.
Will Thielen and Diggs play against San Francisco Saturday? Here’s the latest update on their respective issues leading into Saturday’s game.
Stefon Diggs: Back to Practice Thursday After Battling Illness
GettyStefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings missed practice this week due to illness.
Diggs has missed practice twice this week due to an illness, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer doesn’t seem too concerned about it. “He’s sick. He’ll be fine,” Zimmer said Wednesday. It looks like Zimmer was correct.
Diggs returned to practice on Thursday, and he seemed to be in good spirits, smiling and waving at the media. Adam Thielen, however, looks to have the more concerning issue. Thielen was present at Thursday’s practice, but he did not have his helmet on, and his participation was limited to minimal stretching.
#Vikings WR Stefon Diggs (illness) has returned to practice today. 👋😏
WR Adam Thielen (ankle) present at the start, but not participating.
Adam Thielen (ankle) is present at practice and going through minimal stretching during warm ups but looks to be out today (no helmet). Stefon Diggs is back after missing 2 days with illness.
So how concerning is Thielen’s Injury? While many are speculating Thielen will play, it also looks like he will be toughing it out through what appears to be a painful ankle injury.
Adam Thielen Ankle Injury: Vikings WR Will Do ‘Whatever it Takes’ To Play
Thielen sliced his ankle open on a teammate’s cleat during practice Wednesday, and the cut required stitches. “I got a little tangled up at practice, but … it’s playoffs so I’m going to do whatever it takes to be out there on Saturday with my teammates and help this team win,” Thielen told the NFL Network Thursday morning.
“It’s playoffs, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to be out there on Saturday with my teammates and help this team win.” – @athielen19
📺: @GMFB/@NFLNetwork
Thus, it looks as though Thielen will be playing with stitches in his ankle, and for some, the image brought back memories of another famous ankle injury in sports: Curt Schilling’s bloody sock in the 2004 ALCS.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted out a reference to the “Bloody sock game,” in which Schilling beat the New York Yankees while pitching on a bad ankle. The television cameras picked up a shot of Schilling’s sock, which appeared to be soaked in blood. There were actually two bloody sock games for Schilling, both in the ALCS in 2004, and one of Schilling’s socks from that series is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Thielen missed significant time late this season with a hamstring injury, going down in Week 9 against Kansas City, and not really returning until Week 15, although he didn’t play full force until the Wild Card game against the Saints. Thielen caught seven passes for 129 yards, and he set up the game-winning Vikings touchdown with a 43-yard catch in overtime.
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