6 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss vs. Lions in Week 13

The Vikings need to get healthy FAST

The list of injured players piled up so badly that the Minnesota Vikings weren’t even recognizable at times. Most of the players ruled out were on the defensive side of the ball, but that’s not to say that the offense was without their issues as well.

Darrisaw’s absence was already noted earlier, but Dalvin Cook is a huge part of the Vikings’ offense. Not having him available put a lot of pressure on Alexander Mattison to perform. Although he had 90 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, he’s not the same kind of explosive back that Cook can be. And now Thielen is bound to miss serious time with his injury.

Defensively, it was a bit of a mess. Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr both missed this game with Patrick Peterson still on the COVID-19 list and Everson Griffen dealing with non-football matters. The backups did their best in their place, but again, it is hard to substitute for talented players.

Since the Vikings play again on Thursday night, there’s a good chance many of these players won’t be able to suit up against the Steelers. If that’s the case, beating Big Ben and company becomes a much larger task than it probably should be.