PLAYER NOTES
–CB Trae Waynes returned to practice as he tries to recover from a concussion. Minnesota had a walkthrough on Wednesday instead of a normal practice because of the short recovery from Monday night in Seattle. Waynes was listed as limited.
–TE David Morgan returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. Morgan has missed the past four games because of a knee injury and the team has missed his blocking ability.
–LB Eric Kendricks was limited on Wednesday as he deals with a rib injury. Kendricks played through the injury in last week’s game.
–RT Brian O’Neill was listed as limited for Wednesday’s walkthrough practice after leaving Monday’s game with an ankle injury.
–DT Sheldon Richardson was a limited participant on Wednesday with a hip injury.
–RG Mike Remmers was listed as limited on Wednesday as he deals with a low back injury. Remmers has played through the injury and was a full participant in last week’s practice.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: LB Anthony Barr. Barr will need to keep an eye on Miami’s running backs. The Dolphins dual threat of Frank Gore and Kenyan Drake has been effective and versatile. Gore leads the team with 708 yards rushing. Drake has 463 yards rushing and 366 yards receiving. Drake, particularly, has been explosive. He has 41 receptions and finished off Miami’s “miracle” comeback last week against New England at the end of the 69-yard, multi-lateral play. Barr tied a season high with seven tackles as Seattle focused on running the ball and had his first sack.
GAME PLAN: Both teams should be feeling the desperation. Miami head coach Adam Gase said his team is in “survival mode.” The phrase of the week for Minnesota has been “sense of urgency.” The Vikings currently hold a playoff spot as the final seed in the NFC. The Dolphins are one of four teams at 7-6 in the AFC but trail 7-6 Baltimore for the final playoff spot due to tiebreakers.
Minnesota surely will look to run the ball after head coach Mike Zimmer’s continued harping of the need during the John DeFilippo tenure. New coordinator Kevin Stefanski knows the team personnel well and has surely had Zimmer mention what he’d like to see. The Dolphins have passed the ball more than 28 times just once in quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s eight games. Tannehill had just 19 pass attempts in the win against New England and Miami ran 21 times. The Vikings are 13th in the NFL against the run, while the Dolphins have the 29th-ranked run defense.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Vikings WR Stefon Diggs vs. Dolphins CB Xavien Howard (if healthy). Howard has developed into one of the league’s top cornerbacks and he leads the NFL this season with seven interceptions. His 12 passes defensed are tied for eighth. Howard draws the opponent’s top receiver each week and that will likely mean Stefon Diggs on the outside. Adam Thielen leads the league in receptions, but he’s often lined up in the slot against nickel defensive backs. Diggs typically sees the tougher coverage outside.
–Vikings DE Everson Griffen vs. Dolphins LT Laremy Tunsil. Minnesota will alternate sides as it rotates Griffen, Danielle Hunter and Stephen Weatherly in the game. Griffen will most often be on the right side, meaning a matchup with Tunsil. Griffen has played six games since returning. He has 2.5 sacks in that time. According to STATS LLC, Tunsil has not allowed a sack in the 12 games he’s started.
