Vikings fans had to cringe when news broke that Adam Thielen was listed as a limited participant at practice Wednesday with a shoulder injury.
So will he be available to play this weekend?
Heck, yes. Thielen told WCCO Friday morning he feels good and is ready to “get back out there Sunday night.”
This comes after Thielen, the Vikings’ top wide receiver, was a full participant at Thursday’s practice ahead of the Seahawks match-up.
“It’s the same old Seattle defense … It’ll be a great test for us and we’re excited to get out there and show them what we can do,” he said.
It’s a road game and the team has been able to have in-person meetings leading up to it after a coronavirus outbreak forced virtual meetings and training in the previous week. Thielen said the team travels in 11 buses to maintain social distancing, which is “kind of weird,” but keeps players separate inside a closed space.
Minnesota opened the season with back-to-back losses, the first time that has happened since 2013, which was a season before Mike Zimmer took the helm. They turned it around with a win last week.
“It’s nice to talk to you after a win,” Thielen told WCCO.
He told Vikings.com earlier that the team has worked since opening with losses to ‘get their mojo back.’
"Just do whatever it takes to get our mojo back," Thielen said. "I know guys are excited to get back on the practice field."
They’ve had some tough breaks, he added, but he’s always looking forward to the next game … and renewed consistency.
"There's always been something that has put us in some really tough positions to stay on the field," said Thielen. "It's tough to score points and have explosive plays when you're not on the field very much. That's what we're going to focus on this week to make sure we can do those little things, be consistent with our level of play and stay on the field. That comes down to making plays and getting open on third downs when you get those opportunities."
On the season, Thielen has two 100-yard efforts and scored four times in four games.