Rhett Ellison To Miss Post-Season For Vikings

Amidst the euphoria of the Minnesota Vikings' NFC North-clinching 20-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, the purple and gold got some bad news about one of the more underrated members of their offense.

Tight end Rhett Ellison, who serves as both an in-line blocker and occasional fullback, suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right leg and will miss the remainder of the Vikings' season. He was the Vikings' fourth-round pick out of USC in the 2012 NFL Draft, and has developed into one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.

Ellison injured his knee in the fourth quarter on a play that saw him catch a short dump off pass from Teddy Bridgewater. He was tackled and came down awkwardly on his leg and needed to be helped off of the field.

Ellison is a guy that isn't going to show up in the stat sheet very frequently, but he's absolutely a vital part of the Minnesota offense because of his blocking abilities. This is going to be a pretty significant loss for the Vikings to overcome as they prepare to host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. The team has tight end Dominique Jones on the practice squad, but it's tough to think that he's going to be able to step into Ellison's shoes.

Best wishes to Rhett Ellison on a speedy and full recovery so that he can be ready to help the Vikings defend the North in 2016.