It’s Friday, which means injury report day across the National Football League. Both the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints have released their final injury reports leading up to their big Sunday Night Football contest at U.S. Bank Stadium, so let’s take a look at those now. As always, we’ll lead off with the visitors. New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints injury report vs Minnesota Vikings Player Position Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday Status Player Position Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday Status Mitchell Loewen DL Neck DNP DNP DNP Out Jermon Bushrod OT Not Injury Related DNP DNP FP ------ No, I didn’t accidentally cut anything off or leave anyone out. That is actually the Saints’ entire injury report. Two whole people, only one of whom is out, and the guy that’s out is someone you’ve never heard of. Now, let’s move on to the home team’s injury report. . .which, you’ll notice, is slightly longer. Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings injury report vs New Orleans Saints Player Position Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday Status Player Position Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday Status Anthony Barr LB Hamstring DNP DNP DNP Out Tom Compton OL Knee DNP DNP DNP Out Dalvin Cook RB Hamstring DNP DNP DNP Out Andrew Sendejo S Groin DNP DNP DNP Out Riley Reiff OT Foot LP LP DNP Doubtful Linval Joseph DT Ankle/Knee LP LP LP Questionable Xavier Rhodes CB Ankle DNP DNP DNP Questionable Kentrell Brothers LB Groin FP FP FP ------ Everson Griffen DE Not Injury Related FP FP FP ------ Anthony Harris S Knee FP FP FP ------ Brandon Zylstra WR Neck FP FP FP ------ Yeah. . .that there is kind of ugly. The Vikings are already down four starters (if you’re still counting Dalvin Cook as a starter), and there’s the distinct possibility that they could be down two or three more. Xavier Rhodes is questionable despite not having practiced all week and reportedly still having a limp during the open part of Friday’s practice session. Riley Reiff appears to be on track to miss another game, and the team could also once again be without big Linval Joseph in the middle of the defense. Also, in a strange bit of news, the NFL apparently called the Vikings and made them add Griffen to the injury report after he was not listed on Wednesday, following his return to the team after dealing with his personal issues. We don’t know how much he’s going to play on Sunday, but he appears to be on track to return after being a full participant in practice all week. Besides, given the injury report you see above, there might not be a slot on the inactive list for him anyway. So, there are the final injury reports for the Saints and the Vikings leading up to Sunday’s game, folks. We’ll have more coverage of this one for you as we get closer to kickoff.<doc-sep>The Minnesota Vikings dropped their final injury report of the week on Friday heading into Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints and it appears they will be short-handed once again, which is not all that surprising given their injuries last week. Anthony Barr, Tom Compton, Dalvin Cook and Andrew Sendejo have all been ruled out with Eric Wilson, Danny Isidora, Latavius Murray and George Iloka expected to get the starts in their absence. Riley Reiff is doubtful, leaving the door open for another start at tackle by rookie Brian O'Neill. Linval Joseph and Xavier Rhodes are both ruled questionable for the game. Here is Friday's report from both teams. Vikings injury report: LB Anthony Barr (hamstring) - did not practice, ruled OUT for Sunday LB Kentrell Brothers (groin) - full practice G Tom Compton (knee) - did not practice, ruled OUT for Sunday RB Dalvin Cook (hamstring) - did not practice, ruled OUT for Sunday S Anthony Harris (knee) - full practice NT Linval Joseph (ankle/knee) - limited practice, ruled QUESTIONABLE for Sunday T Riley Reiff (foot) - did not practice, ruled DOUBTFUL for Sunday CB Xavier Rhodes (foot) - did not practice, ruled QUESTIONABLE for Sunday S Andrew Sendejo (groin) - did not practice, ruled OUT for Sunday WR Brandon Zylstra (neck) - full practice Saints injury report: G/T Jermon Bushrod (not injury related) - full practice G Josh LeRibeus (ankle) - injured reserve DE Mitchell Loewen (neck) - did not practice, ruled OUT for Sunday (The Vikings are rolling and are back in the driver's seat in the NFC North heading into a Sunday night game against the Saints --Don't miss any of the action! Sign up for our FREE Vikings newsletter here!) According to the Vegas Insider consensus, Sunday's game opened with the Vikings installed as one-point favorites, but is currently a "pick 'em" contest on several sites, meaning that the line is even on the amount of money being bet on both sides. Minnesota has been historically dominant in this series with the Vikings holding an all-time record of 22-11 between the two squads, including a pair of wins last season in the regular season opener and NFC Divisional Round.<doc-sep>The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings updated their injury reports on Thursday while preparing for Sunday Night Football. Here’s what was made official: From the Saints Two Saints did not practice on Thursday: offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod (not injury related) and defensive lineman Mitchell Loewen (neck). Loewen was not listed on Wednesday’s injury report, so this is a new ailment for him. Hopefully it’s nothing serious. Every other Saints player on Wednesday’s initial report was a full participant. That includes several previously listed as limited: defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth (ankle), linebacker Craig Robertson (hamstring), wide receiver Cameron Meredith (knee), and offensive tackle Terron Armstead (knee). Offensive guard Andrus Peat (concussion) and offensive center Max Unger (hand) were again full participants. From the Vikings Five Vikings did not participate in Thursday’s practice: cornerback Xavier Rhodes (foot), tailback Dalvin Cook (hamstring), safety Andrew Sendejo (groin), linebacker Anthony Barr (hamstring), and guard Tom Compton (knee). Every one of those players is a starter for Minnesota’s defense. Two Vikings were limited participants: offensive tackle Riley Reiff (foot) and nose tackle Linval Joseph (ankle, knee). Either of them missing this game would mean a big loss. Four Vikings were full participants: defensive end Everson Griffen (not injury related), linebacker Kentrell Brothers (groin), safety Anthony Harris (knee), and wide receiver Brandon Zylstra (neck).<doc-sep>The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings will square up on Sunday Night Football for Week 8, but availability for some players is already under question. Here’s what we learned from the first injury report of the week. From the Saints Three Saints did not participate in Wednesday’s practice: center Max Unger (hand), guard Josh LeRibeus (ankle), and guard/tackle Jermon Bushrod (non-injury related). Unger’s injury is new, and distressing, while LeRibeus’ was expected after he exited last week’s game and did not return. LeRibeus was later placed on injured reserve. Bushrod is tending to a family tragedy. Four Saints were limited participants: starting left tackle Terron Armstead (knee) and wide receiver Cameron Meredith (knee), linebacker Craig Robertson (hamstring), and defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth (ankle). Armstead and Meredith have each been limited in recent weeks, while Robertson’s condition is new. Stallworth is progressing from a painful injury has cost him several weeks of practice. Two other Saints were full participants: starting left guard Andrus Peat (concussion) and free safety Marcus Williams (groin). Peat’s upgrade is great news, as he missed several practices last week and the Baltimore Ravens game, though it was defined at the time just as a head injury. Williams’ return is also big, with him exiting the Ravens game in its final minutes after pulling up lame. From the Vikings It was reported earlier Wednesday that star tailback Dalvin Cook (hamstring) would miss several weeks after already sitting out three previous games. Cook dropped 127 rushing yards on the Saints in last year’s season opener, but his replacement, Latavius Murray, has averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns in Cook’s absence. It should be a good matchup between Murray and the Saints’ top-ranked run defense. Besides Cook, four other Vikings missed practice: safety Andrew Sendejo (groin), linebacker Anthony Barr (hamstring), cornerback Xavier Rhodes (ankle), and guard Tom Compton (knee). Every one of them is a starter and would be a big loss for Minnesota. Two Vikings were limited: nose tackle Linval Joseph (ankle/knee) and left tackle Riley Reiff (foot). Three full participants included wide receiver Brandon Zylstra (neck), safety Anthony Harris (knee), and linebacker Kentrell Brothers (groin). Starting defensive end Everson Griffen returned to the team after leaving the team for several weeks to deal with his mental health, but it’s not known if he’ll be ready to play on Sunday.<doc-sep>
The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings preemptively ruled out several players from this week’s Sunday Night Football matchup in Friday’s injury report. Here’s what was made official. From the Saints The Saints already know they will be without defensive lineman Mitchell Loewen (neck), who was sidelined Thursday with a sudden injury. Loewen did not practice on Friday and will not make the trip to Minnesota on Sunday. Offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod (not injury related) returned to the team on Friday after taking personal leave for the last week, tending to a family tragedy. With four of the five starting offensive lineman dealing with minor injuries, there’s a good chance Bushrod gets some reps in Sunday’s game. From the Vikings Minnesota will go into this game missing several key starters: linebacker Anthony Barr (hamstring), running back Dalvin Cook (hamstring), safety Andrew Sendejo (groin), and right guard Tom Compton (knee). Left tackle Riley Reiff (foot) is doubtful to play after missing Friday’s practice, having participating on a limited basis earlier in the week. Two other Vikings are listed as questionable: cornerback Xavier Rhodes (ankle) and nose tackle Linval Joseph (ankle, knee). Rhodes did not practice on Friday and sat out the week’s earlier practice sessions. Defensive end Everson Griffen (not injury related) is expected to make his return after sitting out several weeks. The other players listed on Minnesota’s report were all full participants and should suit up against the Saints: wide receiver Brandon Zylstra (neck), safety Anthony Harris (knee), and linebacker Kentrell Brothers (groin).