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The Minnesota Vikings knew neither their playoff seed or who they would play Wildcard Weekend after defeating the Chicago Bears in Week 18, but the team was armed with far more vital information.
The Vikings chose to hold both safety Harrison Smith (knee) and edge rusher Za’Darius Smith (personal matter) out against the Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, January 8. Running back Dalvin Cook and cornerback Chandon Sullivan each left the contest with injuries and did not return.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to all of their absences following the game, as well as to their respective statuses heading into the NFC playoffs. He began with the players who played on Sunday.
“Chandon Sullivan is just kinda dealing with a little bit of a knee contusion. He should be good to go,” O’Connell said. “And then Dalvin Cook just took a cleat to the leg at one point and he should be 100% and good to go.”
Kevin O’Connell Says Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Smith Given Game Off to Rest
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GettyPass rusher Za’Darius Smith of the Minnesota Vikings runs to a play during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on November 13, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
As for the guys who didn’t play on Sunday, O’Connell said it was just a matter of rest.
Za’Darius dealt with a personal matter. We were in communication the whole time. He actually got back to Chicago last night and was here for our team meetings and everything.
Za’Darius was not gonna play today regardless of the circumstances. We wanted to get him rested and ready to go as one of our premier defensive players. We expect to hopefully be able to have our entire roster at our disposal of available guys. There’s a couple guys that are working like crazy to try to be back from injury.
Harrison just post-practice [on Friday] kinda wanted to get something checked out and just played a lot of snaps for us this year. Had a little soreness in there. This was the time, in my opinion, to try and give him the weekend and make sure he can turn over, and I imagine Harrison would tell you right now he’s gonna be ready to roll when our practice week starts.
O’Connell also spoke to the possibility that center Garrett Bradbury might return from a back injury in time to help the Vikings’ depleted offensive line with whichever opponent they face next weekend.
“Bradbury is the one, he’s been working his tail off,” O’Connell told reporters. “There’s a chance we’ll have him next week. That is totally to be determined on how he responds to getting some real practice reps in his preparation for next week.”
Vikings, Kevin O’Connell Unconcerned With Who They Face in Playoffs
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins (left) talks with head coach Kevin O’Connell (right) of the Minnesota Vikings before a game against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
As for the Vikings’ opposition to kick off the postseason, O’Connell said he and the rest of the team aren’t overly concerned with who their opponent will be.
More important, the coach said, was bouncing back with a win after a bad loss last weekend to the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings accomplished that, got some positive momentum back in their favor and remained relatively healthy heading into Wildcard Weekend.
“Getting that 13th win was very important to all of us in that locker room. So I’ll probably take a look at the scores here and there, but we know we’re going to be getting a game at U.S. Bank Stadium next Saturday, Sunday, Monday — ya never know,” O’Connell said. “What I would just say is the fans have been huge for us all season long and … we’re all incredibly excited to get back in front of them to open the playoffs here.”
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