EAGAN, Minn. — Conventional wisdom suggests the Vikings are going to need all their weapons to stage a playoff upset against number one-seeded San Francisco Saturday.
At least a couple of those weapons, unfortunately, may not be 100 percent. Multiple sources say wideout Adam Thielen, who was limited in practice Wednesday, did not sprain his ankle, as previously reported, but instead suffered a significant cut that required stitches.
The NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says the initial prognosis was encouraging for Thielen's chances of playing Saturday against the 49ers, but they're still gathering information and will proceed with caution.
For his part, Thielen downplayed the severity of the injury during a visit on NFL Network's Good Morning Football Thursday.
"Yeah, you know how it is," Thielen said. "I just got a little tangled up in practice but I'm going to do whatever it takes -- it's playoffs. I'll do whatever it takes to be out there on Saturday with my teammates and try to help this team win."
Combine Thielen's situation with the fact that fellow receiver Stephon Diggs has missed two straight practices with illness, and the Purple faithful could be a bit worried that the Vikings potent offense might not be 100 percent in a huge road contest.
Thielen himself caught 7 passes for 129 yards in the wildcard win against New Orleans, including the huge overtime catch that led to Kyle Rudolph's game-winning grab. On Wednesday he was one of 12 Vikings on the team's injury report.
