The rundown: Losing Thielen, Cook back, and cold weather awaits

The Vikings also shared some John Madden recollections

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By Sam Ekstrom

ZOOM — With the news breaking Wednesday that Adam Thielen was placed on I.R. after undergoing season-ending ankle surgery, the Vikings will no longer have to wonder each week if they’ll have one of their top two pass-catchers.

For the final two games, and seemingly any potential playoff action, Thielen is out and K.J. Osborn is in. Thielen’s season will end with 726 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns.

While yardage totals might be down from Thielen’s peak, his impact has remained high. Thielen’s yards per reception hit a career-low this year at 10.8, but his 130.9 passer rating when targeted was a career-best. While the downfield throws have been reserved for Justin Jefferson, Thielen has gotten ample bang for his buck when targeted.

“Adam’s such a great player,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said Wednesday. “He’s been so productive. He’s a great leader on our team. So it’s tough to not have him.”

With the exception of a handful of drives, Thielen will end up missing almost six complete games to end the year. He appeared to aggravate his high ankle sprain several times against the Los Angeles Rams despite optimistic statements during the week about his rehab.

His absence has coincided with a noticeable dropoff for the Vikings offense. Cousins’ passer rating was 105.3 prior to Thielen’s injury but just 89.1 since. Has accuracy pre-injury was 67.7 percent; since the injury it’s 62.4 percent.

And Thielen’s bread and butter, the red zone, has also taken a hit. Over the previous three games, the Vikings are six of 11 in the red zone, ranking 16th in the league over that span.

The Vikings have been a top 10 red zone each of the last three seasons, largely because of Thielen. Only Sunday’s opponent, Davante Adams, has more red zone touchdowns since the Cousins-Thielen partnership began in 2018. Adams has a sizable lead with 38, but Thielen comes in second with 29.

“He’s a magnet when we get down there – I always tell him that,” said Dalvin Cook. “The ball always seems to find him in the end zone. We’re going to miss that in the red zone. That’s why in the NFL, it’s a next guy up mentality. You’ve got to have some younger guys step up. We’ll have some guys make some plays that nobody thinks are going to make plays, so we’ve got to have some younger guys step up and make some plays in the shoes of Adam.”

To his credit, Osborn has stepped in with three touchdowns — two in the red zone — since Thielen’s injury, but he also let a red zone target deflect off his hands last Sunday for a Rams interception. Jefferson also has three red zone scores in that stretch.

Beyond Osborn, the Vikings haven’t gotten much from their secondary pass-catchers all season. Wide receivers besides Thielen, Osborn and Jefferson only have 11 receptions, and tight ends besides Tyler Conklin only have six.

Jefferson certainly has the capability to carry the bulk of the passing game, but Thielen’s precision in big spots will be sorely missed, and obviously the team’s offensive depth takes a hit.

“We’re going to miss him out there on the football field,” said Cook. “He’s that vocal guy, that guy that brings that juice every day. You can expect that same Adam every day. I’m going to miss him. There really haven’t been too many games where I’ve touched the field without him since I got here.”