–Defensive end Everson Griffen was away from the team on Wednesday as it resumed practice in preparation for Sunday’s game against Arizona. Griffen is likely to miss his fourth straight game while he deals with a mental health issue.
–Quarterback Kirk Cousins has lived up to his big contract in the offseason as Minnesota has been reliant on the passing attack. The Vikings are third in the league in passing and Cousins has thrown for 1,688 yards, the second-highest total in the NFL. Cousins is the first player in NFL history to complete at least 30 passes in four consecutive games.
“In the first few weeks, we felt like throwing the football, getting pass attempts so our best athletes on the outside can make plays was our best chance to move the football and to score points,” Cousins said. “That may not be the case every week but it’s given us a chance to be explosive early in the season and we’ll see if it can continue.”
–Wide receiver Adam Thielen established an NFL record last week with his fifth straight game of at least 100 receiving yards. It’s the first time in the Super Bowl era that a player has had five straight games of 100 yards receiving to start a season.
“We were doing good things last year as well,” Thielen said this week. “But when you have a franchise quarterback like we have now, and you have the guys that we have in this locker room that are very selfless and a coaching staff that works their tails off to put us in good positions, all that together is usually a pretty good thing.”
–Defensive end Danielle Hunter is the only player in the NFL this season to record a sack in each of the first five weeks. Hunter has 30.5 sacks in his four NFL seasons and is tied for the fifth-highest total for any player before turning 24 years old. Hunter turns 24 on Oct. 29. He trails the leader, Shawne Merriman, by nine sacks. Terrell Suggs is fourth with 33.5 sacks before turning 24.
–Defensive tackle Linval Joseph might have surprised some with his 64-yard fumble return for a touchdown in last week’s win against Philadelphia, but head coach Mike Zimmer knew the 329-pounder was athletic. “I know what kind of athlete he is for a big, big man,” Zimmer said. “He’s got a lot of physicality. He’s a very, very good athlete and it shows all the time when he’s making plays on the perimeter. I knew he could run. In practice every day he shows something that is very athletic for his size and strength.”
–Minnesota might be forced to make more changes along the offensive line if left tackle Riley Reiff is not recovered from a foot injury. Reiff left last week’s game early with right tackle Rashod Hill moving over to the left side in place of Reiff. Rookie Brian O’Neill took over at right tackle.
“I thought they did pretty well,” Zimmer said. “O’Neill battled really well, did some good things and then, honestly, Rashod when he went over there, his technique was probably a little bit better.” It would be the third time in six weeks the Vikings are forced to start a different line combination.
–Defensive end Stephen Weatherly has shown continued improvement as he’s started three straight games in place of Everson Griffen. Weatherly, the seventh-round draft pick in 2016 out of Vanderbilt, has two sacks, a forced fumble and 13 total tackles in the three games.
“When he first came here in the first little bit, he was a guy that would stop his feet on the rush, kind of measure,” Zimmer said. “Now, he’s just rushing and using his athletic abilities. If the guy oversets, he comes inside. If he sets too tight, he works the outside edge. I think he’s just getting a better feel of it. But the No. 1 thing is not stopping his feet.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 47 – Receptions by Adam Thielen through five games this season, which is the most in NFL history for a player five games into the season. Thielen is on pace for 150 receptions, which would beat the NFL single-season record of 143 set by Marvin Harrison in 2002.
