Final Vikings injury report ahead of Week 1 game vs. Packers

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The Minnesota Vikings are hoping to turn the page on a disappointing 2025 season that saw them fall out of the playoff race by Thanksgiving. They may have won their last five games to finish with a 9-8 record, but all that did was allow them to finish in third place and give them a tougher schedule than the fourth-place Detroit Lions.

The Vikings made a big change in the offseason by bringing in a veteran quarterback in Kyler Murray to take over from disappointing J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings will get their first opportunity to see how their new QB1 performs when they open the season at home Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell could not ask for any more when it comes to the health of his team. The Vikings are devoid of injury problems after Friday’s practice. While teams expect to be healthy going into Week 1, the Vikings are fully healthy.

Earlier in the week safety Jakobe Thomas was slowed by illness and did not practice Wednesday, but he was a full participant Friday. Similarly named Jacob Thomas, also a safety, had an ankle issue earlier in the week and was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, but he was a full participant Friday.

Offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan was in a similar position with an ankle problem and had a full practice Friday after being limited earlier in the week. Tiernan is listed on the depth chart as the backup to right tackle Brian O’Neill.

The only other notes on the Vikings injury list included veteran left tackle Christian Darrisaw and safety Harrison Smith. Darrisaw did not practice Friday, but it was a decision made by Darrisaw and the coaching staff. It was not injury-related.

Harrison Smith participated in practice in a limited manner

Smith recently returned to the team after considering retirement for months. However, Smith and the team came to an agreement just a week ago after missing the offseason workouts and training camp. He was limited in practice Friday but he did participate.

Smith is listed on the Vikings’ depth chart as the starting free safety, but it seems likely that he will play in a limited role because of his late decision to return to the team. He has been like a coach on the field under defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Smith has a clear understanding of exactly how Flores wants his defense to play. He has the ability to fine tune the positioning of his fellow defensive players, particularly those in the secondary. If there is any confusion among members of the secondary as the Vikings defense attempts to limit Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love and his receivers, Smith should be available to provide clarity and specific direction.

Healthy roster does not guarantee sharp performance

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The Vikings have reason to believe that they will be in a position to come through their season opener in a strong and efficient manner because they are so healthy. However, the issue is one of rust could prevent them from playing well.

Like most head coaches, O’Connell does not like to play his starters in the three preseason games for any more than limited minutes. The Vikings have certainly practiced hard in training camp and competed against the Baltimore Ravens when the two teams worked out together.

However, it’s not the same as full-fledged competition. The Vikings are not steeled for battle at this point. The likelihood is that they will make mistakes — and a lot more of them than they would in Week 4 or later. The Packers are in the same boat and the lack of competition was evident in the season-opening games earlier this week.

Mistakes and errors are plentiful in early-season games

There were multiple errors made in the kickoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The trend continued in the NFL’s venture into Australia between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. The Rams, who were in Melbourne for just 28 hours prior to kickoff, saw their issues exacerbated by jet lag. The Niners made far fewer mistakes, but they were not in midseason form either.

Errors in the first two weeks of the season are prevalent in the NFL, but at least the Vikings have a healthy team to kick off the season.

The play of Murray and how well he has been able to learn and execute O’Connell’s offense will have an impact on how the team performs against the Packers and how well they will do for the season. Murray had suffered injuries in two of his three previous seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, but he is healthy this season and he has a pair of high-level receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Once the season kicks off, it’s about staying healthy and avoiding serious injuries in game competition. That’s another matter completely.

 

Related: Vikings revise starting CB’s contract before Week 1

Related: Vikings’ Kyler Murray gushes about Jonathan Gannon before facing off in Packers clash

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