6 takeaways from the Vikings Week 9 loss to the Chiefs

Thielen isn’t quite ready to return yet

After sitting out the Vikings’ win over the Washington Redskins last week with a hamstring injury, Adam Thielen was back in the lineup for Minnesota on Sunday.

However, Thielen’s time on the field didn’t last very long against the Chiefs and it appears as though he might have returned a little too early from his injury.

The Vikings receiver appeared in the team’s first few offensive series this week, but it didn’t take very long before he was back on the sideline getting his hamstring looked at by Minnesota’s medical staff. Thielen didn’t end up playing a snap of offense for the Vikings in the second half on Sunday as his injury was just too severe to overcome.

As Minnesota learned last season with Dalvin Cook, the recovery for a hamstring injury is not something that can be rushed. They heal at their own pace and if the recovery time is disrupted by an early attempt to return to action, it could result in even more time away from the field.

Unfortunately, the best idea for the Vikings would be to probably sit Thielen out of their next two games before their bye in Week 12. This way he can have a good amount of time to recover and hopefully return to the field close to 100 percent in time for Minnesota’s final five matchups of the season.