SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 11: Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings shakes hands with Ifeadi Odenigbo #95 during warm ups prior to their game against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Divisional Round Playoff game at Levi's Sta … ((Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings are less than 48 hours away from opening the 2020 season against the Green Bay Packers, and there’s no way to gauge if they’re ready without the fortune of seeing them play a preseason game.
The Vikings final injury report was empty. They’re without star defensive end Danielle Hunter for the first three weeks after being placed on injured reserve on Wednesday. It’s a big loss, but other than that, they’re largely healthy. But are they ready?
“It’s hard to tell without really playing any games. We’ll find out, Green Bay is going to be a great test for us. I feel good about this team, I like how they work and they prepare. I’m confident that we’ll continue to get better as the season goes on,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Friday.
Zimmer was asked if downplaying Hunter’s injury as a “little tweak” that’s kept him out of practices for nearly three weeks was to keep the Packers in suspense.
“I’m not going to talk about injuries,” Zimmer said.
With Hunter out, newly-added Yannick Ngakoue and Ifeadi Odenigbo are the likely starting defensive ends. Odenigbo played in 16 games last year and finished the season with seven sacks. He was potentially competing for a starting spot on the defensive line before the trade for Ngakoue.
“Them trading for Yannick is good for the team. It’s not a me sport, it’s a team sport, so l’ve seen what Yannick has been doing here. He can really help the team out,” Odenigbo said. “Obviously what happened with Danielle is not ideal to the situation. I know I’m going to step in and do my part for the team.”
The Vikings and Packers will play in an empty U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, but it beats the alternative of not playing at all. Every other major professional sport either halted its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or delayed its start.
Only five teams are allowing fans at games, and about 15,000 of them were at Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night to see the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Houston Texans. It’s a sight that gives the NFL hope for a season.
“Cautiously optimistic. I think it’s good to get back to football. Like I told the team the other day, we’ve gone through all the protocols, we’ve gone through all the testing, we do all the things that we have to do. The reason why doing this is so we can go out and play football and play the game we love,” Zimmer said. “It’s exciting that we get the opportunity, hopefully everybody stays safe and we continue to play throughout the season without a hitch.”
The COVID-19 pandemic hit especially close to home for the Vikings. Before training camp started, as many as eight players were placed on the COVID-19 list, meaning they either tested positive or came in close contact with a carrier. Even Eric Sugarman, head trainer and infection control officer, the guy in charge of making sure the Vikings follow COVID-19 protocols and making sure it doesn’t spread within the team, tested positive.
But seeing live football Thursday night gave them a sense of relief.
“I got to see some live football, it’s been, just with this whole COVID and what we’ve been dealing with, now everything has been adjusting to this new world order,” Odenigbo said. “It’s been pretty cool to see football, it makes me even more anxious for Sunday.”
That sums up the Vikings and their fans. After months of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all ready for live football.