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UPDATE: Bengals’ running back Joe Mixon has not passed the league’s concussion protocol and is officially out for Cincinnati as of Saturday morning.
Joe Mixon did not pass concussion protocol and will not play Sunday against the Vikings.
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) December 16, 2017
It’s time for us to take a look at the injury reports for both the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals going into this week’s contest at U.S. Bank Stadium, folks. Both teams have a lot of players listed on their reports this week, and both teams are going to be down some pretty significant pieces when they step on the field this Sunday.
We’ll start, as we always do, with the visiting team.
Cincinnati Bengals Injury Report
| Player | Position | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Sunday Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Sunday Status |
| Vontaze Burfict | LB | Concussion | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Concussion | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Kevin Minter | LB | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Nick Vigil | LB | Ankle | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| T.J. Johnson | C | Pec | ------ | ------ | FP | Doubtful |
| Joe Mixon | HB | Concussion | DNP | LP | FP | Questionable |
| Shawn Williams | S | Hamstring | LP | DNP | FP | Questionable |
| Giovani Bernard | HB | Knee | LP | DNP | FP | ------ |
| Darqueze Dennard | CB | Knee | DNP | LP | FP | ------ |
| Carlos Dunlap | DE | Chest | LP | DNP | FP | ------ |
| Tyler Kroft | TE | Hamstring | DNP | LP | FP | ------ |
| Cedric Ogbuehi | T | Shoulder | LP | DNP | FP | ------ |
| Pat Sims | DT | Heel | LP | DNP | FP | ------ |
| Andre Smith | T | Not injury Related | ------ | ------ | FP | ------ |
| Eric Winston | T | Hip | ------ | LP | FP | ------ |
According to our friends over at Cincy Jungle, the Bengals have actually placed Kevin Minter on the injured reserve list, so his season is done. All three of the Bengals’ starting linebackers (Minter, Vontaze Burfict, and Nick Vigil) will miss this one, which is a bad thing for a Cincinnati run defense that’s already ranked #32 in the NFL. Dre Kirkpatrick is also a pretty significant loss for the Bengals, as he’s been a solid #2 corner across from William Jackson for the Cincy defense.
Now, on to the home team.
Minnesota Vikings Injury Report
| Player | Position | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Sunday Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Sunday Status |
| Mackensie Alexander | CB | Ribs | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Riley Reiff | T | Ankle | DNP | DNP | LP | Doubtful |
| Kyle Rudolph | TE | Ankle | DNP | DNP | DNP | Doubtful |
| Emmanuel Lamur | LB | Foot | DNP | LP | LP | Questionable |
| Blake Bell | TE | Shoulder | DNP | DNP | IR | ------ |
| Pat Elflein | C | Shoulder | LP | LP | FP | ------ |
| Linval Joseph | NT | Knee | LP | FP | FP | ------ |
| Jerick McKinnon | RB | Shoulder | LP | FP | FP | ------ |
| David Morgan | TE | Concussion | LP | FP | FP | ------ |
| Mike Remmers | T | Low Back | LP | LP | FP | ------ |
| Xavier Rhodes | CB | Hip | DNP | LP | FP | ------ |
| Jermiah Sirles | G | Knee | LP | LP | FP | ------ |
| Shamar Stephen | NT | Shoulder | LP | LP | FP | ------ |
| Adam Thielen | WR | Knee | LP | FP | FP | ------ |
Like the Bengals, the Vikings also made a move to put a player on injured reserve after the injury reports came out, as tight end Blake Bell is now done for the 2017 season. We’ll go through the Vikings’ roster moves today in a separate post. The Vikings used the “doubtful” designation for the first time all season, using it on both Riley Reiff and Kyle Rudolph. Mike Zimmer has already stated that he doesn’t think Rudolph is going to play, but in the spirit of (Lloyd) Christmas, I guess he’s sayin’ there’s a chance. It doesn’t sound like Reiff will play, so Rashod Hill will be getting another start. However, he’ll be starting at left tackle, as Mike Remmers is finally back from his injuries and will start at his right tackle spot. Pat Elflein looks as though he’s going to be back at center as well.
That’s a look at the fairly lengthy injury reports for both the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals going into this weekend’s contest. Both teams are sort of banged up, but it looks like the Bengals are more the worse for wear going into this one.