Minnesota was still competitive without key starters
The Vikings went into their game against the Seahawks on Monday short-handed. Minnesota star wide receiver Adam Thielen was expected to make his return to the lineup after suffering a hamstring injury a few weeks back. But Thielen apparently had a setback leading up to the matchup and he, once again, was inactive.
If that wasn’t enough, during the game the Vikings lost a couple more of their starters. Minnesota left tackle Riley Reiff went out with a concussion and Dalvin Cook went down with a chest injury that kept him out for the remainder of the matchup as well.
Rashod Hill stepped in for Reiff and played well enough while rookie running back Alexander Mattison took over lead-back duties for Cook and the Vikings’ offense still continued to hum.
Despite not having three of their top guys in the lineup for a good portion of the game, Minnesota was able to mount a comeback and nearly pull off the win in Seattle. That is a very impressive feat and kudos has to be given to Vikings general manager Rick Spielman for assembling a talented roster from top to bottom that is full of players who can come off the bench and help the team out whenever they’re needed.
If Thielen, Reiff, and Cook played for the entire game on Monday, the outcome against the Seahawks may have been different for Minnesota. Again, props need to be given to the guys who stepped in and helped the Vikings fight until the very end, almost getting the team the victory.