–Defensive end Everson Griffen is still away from the team as he deals with his mental health. Griffen has missed the past two games after an incident in which he had to be transported to a local hospital by police as he agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation. Head coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday that there is “no clarity” on a time frame for a potential return of Griffen to the team.
–Linebacker Kentrell Brothers has returned to the team after being reinstated from the suspended list. Brothers missed four games for testing positive for performance enhancing substances. Minnesota has a roster exemption for Brothers until Oct. 8. “I haven’t seen him in four weeks, so we’ll just have to see how it goes,” Zimmer said.
–Minnesota’s defense has suffered an inexplicable slip this season after leading the league in fewest points and yards allowed last season. The Vikings are 21st in yards allowed this year with 381.5 per game. There is one area in which Minnesota has excelled. The Vikings have held opponents to a 31.1 percent conversation rate on third downs, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
–Wide receiver Aldrick Robinson caught two touchdown passes in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. It was only his second game with the team. His instant impact might have been extremely fortunate, though. Robinson only played eight offensive snaps in the game.
–Quarterback Kirk Cousins continues setting team records to start the season. He is third in the NFL with 1,387 passing yards, a new Vikings record for a quarterback through the first four games of a season. The previous mark was held by Daunte Culpepper, who threw for 1,123 yards in 2001. In his time with Washington, Cousins had success against Philadelphia. He has a 64.4 percent completion rate, 16 touchdowns to five interceptions and a 99.7 passer rating in seven games against the Eagles. He’s thrown for at least 300 yards in three of the games, all coming in Philadelphia.
–The success passing the ball has overshadowed Minnesota’s struggles to get anything going on the ground. In part due to early deficits and part to ineffectiveness, the Vikings are last in the league in rushing. They are averaging 63.0 yards per game. Their 73 attempts are also last, while a 3.5 rushing yards per play is tied for 29th in the NFL.
“It’s always a combination of things,” Zimmer said. “The running game is not just the offensive line or the running backs, it’s the tight ends, the fullbacks, and it’s a lot of things. When guys miss blocks, that’s typically what happens.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 5 – Games with 100 receiving yards to start the season by Adam Thielen if he can continue the streak against Philadelphia on Sunday. Thielen is the only player in the NFL to post at least 100 yards receiving in each game this season. He has four straight games with at least five receptions and 100 yards, tied for the longest streak in team history and tied for the seventh-longest streak in NFL history.
