Vikings WR Adam Thielen underwent season-ending surgery on his ankle yesterday, per sources.
This is a huge blow for an inconsistent Vikings offense mostly in the passing game. Thielen caught 67 passes for 726 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games but really only 12 games. Thielen was on pace to hit around 1,000 yards and a season-high in 14+ touchdowns before spraining his ankle against the Lions in Week 13.
Luckily for the Vikings, they have had two emerging players in the passing game in K.J. Osborn at WR3 and Tyler Conklin at TE replacing an injured Irv Smith Jr. who faced a season-ending injury in the preseason after having surgery trying to repair his meniscus.
K.J. Osborn was already having a nice season alongside Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen catching 31 passes for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns. Since Thielen got injured in Week 13, making K.J. the WR2 for Minnesota in only 4 games he has 15 catches for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns. Osborn has been a pleasant surprise for this team after receiving a lot of hate as a special teams returner last season, and I am excited to see what the future holds for him.
Tyler Conklin is having an under-the-radar breakout season after finding out he was becoming the starting TE for the Vikings with Irv Smith Jr.'s injury. Conklin has stepped up in the passing game with 54 receptions, 540 yards, and 3 touchdowns on the season. It may come as a surprise that Conklin is having such a productive season but even last season when Kyle Rudolph got hurt and he was promoted to the WR2 he was able to produce. He finished the 2020 season with 194 yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions in only 2 starts.
Overall, the Vikings only have two games left and they need to win out to have any chance at a playoff spot. Now how much will the absence of Thielen ultimately affect the team is up in the air for now, but I could still see the offense being able to produce well if Kirk can step up in the team's time of need. The major impact we have seen thus far from Thielen's injury is the team's RedZone efficiency without him depleting, but hopefully, with Cook coming back that will get better.
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