Vikings injury updates and transactions for Week 9 vs. Lions

There could be some new and familiar faces on the field when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Lions.

Following their big upset of the Packers last week, the Minnesota Vikings now shift their attention to the Detroit Lions. The purple and gold are attempting to stay relevant in the NFC North and keep any shred of hope alive that the team can sneak into the playoffs.

For that to happen, Minnesota will need to win as many games as possible on the remainder of their schedule. Of course, the Vikings are struggling with some depth issues and the Lions are experiencing their fair share of hardship as well.

Let’s take a look at the injury report as well as some transactions for the Minnesota Vikings heading into their Week 9 game against the Lions.

Minnesota Vikings

Three cornerbacks have been ruled out for the team: Mark Fields, Holton Hill, and Cameron Dantzler. Plus, a fourth cornerback, Harrison Hand, is questionable for Sunday’s matchup. That means the team could potentially be without four corners against the Lions.

Adam Thielen, Dan Chisena, and C.J. Ham also appeared on the injury report earlier in the week, but are all cleared of designations and will be good to go.

Some roster moves were made on Saturday to prepare for the game as well. Offensive lineman Brett Jones was elevated to the 53-man roster and Abdullah Anderson Jr. was made a replacement for a player on the COVID-19 list. In addition, Holton Hill was designated with a roster exemption.

Detroit Lions

There was some concern that quarterback Matthew Stafford would be unable to suit up on Sunday due to COVID-19 concerns, but was cleared on Saturday and is expected to be behind center. However, he will be without his most dynamic weapon in the passing game, Kenny Golladay. Golladay is dealing with a hip injury and will be sitting out.

In addition to Golladay, the Lions will be without offensive weapon Jamal Agnew and defensive back Tracy Walker. There is also a chance the team will be without guard Joe Dahl, linebacker Christian Jones, cornerback Darryl Roberts, and tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, all of whom are questionable.

Familiar faces coming to town

Week 9 will feature a matchup with several former Vikings players coming to U.S. Bank Stadium. Defensive end Everson Griffen will face off against Minnesota for the first time. Plus, former Vikings Adrian Peterson and Jayron Kearse will be interesting to see in Honolulu blue.

Don’t miss the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions on Sunday, Nov. 8 for what should be a telling match up between two NFC North squads looking to crawl into the postseason or at least not finish last in the division.