The rundown: Jefferson vs. Lamb, Nwangwu to kick returner and Thursday's injury update

Plus, how the Vikings are trying to reduce penalties

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By Sam Ekstrom

EAGAN — Preparations continued Thursday for Vikings vs. Cowboys as we heard from the Vikings coordinators and a handful of players at TCO Performance Center.

Before we get into some of the storylines that emerged, let’s start the rundown with a peek at the injury report.

Pierce remains out

The Vikings were missing three players at Thursday’s indoor practice: WR Dede Westbrook (ankle), TE Ben Ellefson (knee/foot) and DT Michael Pierce (elbow).

Both Westbrook and Ellefson entered Wednesday’s practice wearing wraps or braces and ostensibly came out worse. Westbrook had a wrap on his ankle during individual work on Wednesday and wasn’t active whatsoever on Thursday. Ellefson, already wearing a knee brace, was forced to leave during individuals on Wednesday and hasn’t been spotted since.

As for Pierce, he appeared more active during warmups on Thursday but did not put on a helmet and seems to be a longshot to play on Sunday.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette could see a promotion if Westbrook isn’t ready to go, while Luke Stocker or Brandon Dillon could be elevated off the practice squad to fill in again for Ellefson. Pierce’s absence would keep Armon Watts in the starting lineup for a third straight game.