Every team suffers injuries in the NFL. However, the best ones have effective methods to overcome them.
The 14-3 Minnesota Vikings will enter the Wild Card round mostly at full strength. Although they have a few bumps and bruises, they will head to Los Angeles healthier than earlier this season.
In Week 8, the Vikings lost 30-20 on the road to the Los Angeles Rams after losing 31-29 to the Detroit Lions. However, that was a short week, and Minnesota was shorthanded.
Going into that Week 8 matchup, both teams had impact players on the injury report. The Vikings were without Blake Cashman, their disrupter in the middle, who was out of the Viking lineup with turf toe. They also held T.J. Hockenson out of that contest because he was still rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered at the end of last season.
The Rams didn’t know whether Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp would play. Nacua had been out with a knee injury, and Kupp had been dealing with an ankle injury. However, both started and contributed meaningfully. People expected Kupp to play, but Nacua’s return shocked many fans.
Christian Darrisaw went down halfway into the contest due to a knee injury, and David Quessenberry took over for the rest of that game. Darrisaw’s season-ending injury led the Vikings to trade for Cam Robinson. The former Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle has stepped up and played well since joining Minnesota’s offensive line in Week 9.
The Rams clinched a playoff spot and wrapped up the NFC West by Week 18, so Sean McVay and his coaching staff rested their primary starters for their matchup against the Seattle Seahawks last week. Nacua, Kupp, running back Kyren Williams, and quarterback Matthew Stafford sat the entire game, with other starters working in a limited capacity.
Although the No. 3 seed was at stake, the Rams went to the backups to maintain a healthier group going into the playoffs. They lost this game, 30-25, and dropped to the fourth seed.
Meanwhile, Minnesota battled the Lions at Ford Field with the division and the No. 1 seed on the line. Although Detroit beat them 31-9, the Vikings will at least advance to the Wild Card round without major injuries.
When fully healthy, the Rams and Vikings are each dynamic on both sides of the ball. Both teams have a receiving duo that can create matchup nightmares for the other team’s defensive coordinator. They both have a running back who can break off a huge gain in both the run and the pass at any moment and a quarterback who has made big plays with the pressure at its highest. LA and Minnesota also each have a tight end who creates mismatches against and defenses that deliver when the game is on the line.
Losing any of these players on either side of the ball creates a hole at that position, making the game plan much harder to execute.
Unlike other professional sports, the NFL has a one-game playoff series. Win, and you move on; lose, and you go home. There are no second chances. Teams must adjust throughout the game, causing the game plan and the players to adapt in real time. Healthy players allow for that essential in-game fluidity.
The Vikings and Rams facing off at full strength on Monday night is a great way to end Wild Card Weekend in what should be a classic shootout. The healthier each team can stay, the better its chances of winning this game and continuing its quest to make a run at the Super Bowl.
