Vikings at Rams: Initial injury reports

Some surprises for the Vikings

It’s officially time to start getting ready for Week 16, as the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams both released their first injury reports of the week ahead of Sunday’s tilt at U.S. Bank Stadium. Both teams held walkthroughs on Wednesday, so these practice participation levels are an estimation of what would have happened had there been an actual practice.

Los Angeles Rams

Did Not Participate

No players listed

Limited Participation

• DL Greg Gaines (ankle)
• LB Jamir Jones (ankle)
• DT A’Shawn Robinson (bicep)

Full Participation

No players listed

Yep, that’s a pretty short list for the Rams. . .only three players listed as limited participants, only one of whom (Robinson) is listed as a starter on the Los Angeles depth chart. That’s relatively healthy for a team that’s already played 14 games this season.

However, the Rams do have seven players currently listed on their active COVID-19 list, and three more on their practice squad COVID list.

• LB Antoine Brooks Jr.
• S Jordan Fuller
• S Jake Gervase
• RB Javian Hawkins (practice squad)
• TE Tyler Higbee
• S Juju Hughes
• WR Warren Jackson (practice squad)
• LB Justin Lawler (practice squad)
• TE Johnny Mundt
• OL Joe Noteboom

Minnesota Vikings

Did Not Participate

• OL Mason Cole (elbow)

Limited Participation

• QB Kirk Cousins (ribs)
• FB C.J. Ham (hamstring)
• LB Eric Kendricks (low back)
• WR Adam Thielen (ankle)

Full Participation

• RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder)

The Vikings also had running back Alexander Mattison listed as a limited participant as “non-injury,” as he returned from the COVID-19 list on Wednesday.

Cole’s status might explain the signing of Dakota Dozier to the 53-man roster earlier this week, but hopefully Cole’s issue will end up not being that serious. I don’t recall him coming off of the field during the Chicago game but I could be wrong.

And no, your eyes are not deceiving you. . .that is Kirk Cousins on the injury report. This is the first time he’s even been listed on an injury report as a member of the Vikings, and the first time he’s been listed on any injury report since Week 1 of 2013, when Washington had him listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Cousins has only missed one start during his Vikings’ tenure, that coming in the final game of the 2019 regular season when the Vikings benched all their starters because they were locked into their playoff spot.

The Vikings also have two players on their COVID-19 lists.

• WR Dan Chisena
• OL Kyle Hinton (practice squad)

So, there are a couple of things on this week’s injury reports to keep an eye on, specifically from the Vikings’ perspective. Here’s hoping for some positive developments on Thursday and Friday.