PLAYER NOTES
–DT Linval Joseph was held out of practice on Wednesday as the team got back to work in preparation for Sunday’s game in New York. Joseph was listed with ankle, knee and shoulder injuries on the injury report. Joseph missed one snap last week due to injury but came back in the game. Without Joseph, Minnesota might have to turn to second-year tackle Jaleel Johnson and the recently re-signed David Parry.
–LT Riley Reiff missed Wednesday’s practice with his ongoing foot injury. Reiff missed Sunday’s game leading to Rashod Hill switching from right tackle to start on the left side and rookie Brian O’Neill making his first start at right tackle.
–S Andrew Sendejo was still out as Minnesota returned to practice on Wednesday. Sendejo missed last week’s game with a groin injury. George Iloka started in Sendejo’s place and the Vikings used a rotation at safety and nickel that included Iloka, Jayron Kearse and Anthony Harris.
–RB Dalvin Cook was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, a good sign after the second-year back has missed three of the past four games with a hamstring injury. Cook practiced full last Thursday but was limited again last Friday. He was listed as questionable for the game and head coach Mike Zimmer said he was “close” to returning, but the team opted to play it safe with Cook. Latavius Murray started in Cook’s place last week and ran for a career-high 155 yards against Arizona.
–DE Tashawn Bower practiced in full on Wednesday as he makes his return from an ankle injury. Bower has missed the past two games with the injury, leaving Minnesota thin at defensive end with Everson Griffen away from the team. Rookie defensive tackle Jalyn Holmes has taken snaps at end.
–DE Stephen Weatherly was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice with a rib injury. Weatherly has started the past four games with Everson Griffen away from the team tending to a mental-health issue.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Adam Thielen. Another sign how far the former undrafted, small-college receiver has come. In a matchup that includes Kirk Cousins against the team he spurned in free agency and a rookie quarterback in the Big Apple, Thielen has become a must-watch player. The league’s leading receiver should get plenty of chances out of the slot against New York and he will be Cousins’ main target with Stefon Diggs likely drawing cornerback Morris Claiborne on the outside. Thielen will be going for NFL records, including most receptions in the first seven games of a season and starting a season with at least seven games of 100 yards receiving.
GAME PLAN: Minnesota got its running game going with 195 yards rushing as a team against Arizona last week. The running lanes against defensive tackle Leonard Williams and the Jets might not be as open. Both teams will want to run the ball, but both should run into opposition. New York leans on the running game to take some of the burden off rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. The Vikings are ninth in the league in run defense this season and the Jets have been a little more forgiving in the passing game.
New York is giving up 272.3 passing yards per game this season, 22nd in the NFL, which should set up Minnesota for another game of Kirk Cousins leading the way. Morris Claiborne has had a strong season with a league high-tying nine pass deflections, but Stefon Diggs is a challenge on the outside. Diggs is tied for ninth in the league with 40 catches. Adam Thielen is dangerous from the slot and the Jets were without cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (quadriceps) and Buster Skrine (concussion) as the week of practice started.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Vikings RT Brian O’Neill vs. Jets DE Leonard Williams. O’Neill fared well in his first career start against Arizona. Handling Williams is a much bigger challenge. Williams leads New York with three sacks this year from his spot on the left side in head coach Todd Bowles’ 3-4 defense. Williams also stands his ground as a run defender. O’Neill has tried to add strength and weight since being drafted in the second round. Williams and his 300-pound frame will test O’Neill’s gains in that department.
–Vikings front seven vs. Jets RB Isaiah Crowell. Look for New York to try and control the game by running the ball and it will be on the legs of Crowell and Bilal Powell. Powell takes more of the receiving responsibilities while Crowell will grind out yards in the running game. He ran for 219 yards two weeks ago but was held to 40 yards rushing on 13 carries last week by Indianapolis. Linval Joseph, if he’s able to play through injuries, can shut down the middle of an offense. If Joseph is out, Minnesota is a lot lighter on the defensive front. Former Jet Sheldon Richardson and ends Danielle Hunter and Stephen Weatherly can also stop the run, and linebackers Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr will need to fill gaps.
