They’ll only be missing one key defensive player, with all other starters good to go for Sunday, and just two depth pieces listed as questionable.

Minnesota Vikings Week 18 final injury report

Defensive end Pat Jones has officially been ruled out for Sunday’s game. The good news? He’s the only starter sidelined, with everyone else ready to suit up.

Jones, who’s racked up 7 sacks this season, will definitely be missed on defense this Sunday. Hopefully, this is just the team playing it safe and he’ll be ready to go when the playoffs roll around.

Final #MINvsDET injury report

OUT: Pat Jones II

QUESTIONABLE: Kamu Grugier-Hill and Fabian Moreau pic.twitter.com/o6gDzQsZvI

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 3, 2025

Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and cornerback Fabian Moreau are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. If they’re able to go, both could provide some much-needed depth to the lineup on defense.

Star running back Aaron Jones, who’s already racked up over 1,000 rushing yards this season, is officially ready to play. His name was removed from the injury report after dealing with a quad injury earlier this week. Jones had been limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, but he’s good to go.

Related: Aaron Jones Wants to Retire as a Viking

Legendary safety Harrison Smith, who missed his only game of the season back in Week 16 against Seattle, has returned to action. After suiting up in last week’s game, he showed up on the injury report again this week with a foot issue. He was limited in practice on Wednesday, but fully participated yesterday so he’s set to play on Sunday.

Having Aaron Jones and Harrison Smith ready to go on Sunday is a big deal. The Vikings have done a great job staying healthy all season, and fingers crossed, that trend keeps rolling into the playoffs.

The Vikings have done a solid job of staying healthy throughout the season (knock on wood), earning a reputation as one of the healthiest teams in the league, and they got even healthier today.

Week 18 Minnesota Vikings injury report

The Vikings released their Thursday injury report for Week 18, and there’s some good news. Several key players have returned to full practice participation, putting them on track to play this Sunday.

Fullback CJ Ham, who’s been dealing with a quad injury, took a step forward by going from limited in practice yesterday to being a full participant today which is definitely a good sign. The same goes for safety Harrison Smith, who missed his first game of the season in Week 16, but returned last week. And after being a full participant in practice today, it looks like Smith is on track to suit up again.

Thursday's #Vikings injury report pic.twitter.com/wGQ1MSXhqh

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 2, 2025

Defensive lineman Pat Jones, who’s been having a strong season with 7 sacks, got hurt in last week’s game. He’s now missed both Wednesday and Thursday practices, which probably means he won’t suit up this week. The team is hoping he’ll be ready to go by the time the playoffs roll around, though.

Related: Aaron Jones Wants to Retire as a Viking

Running back Aaron Jones has managed to stay healthy for most of the season. However, he’s been dealing with a quad injury this week. He was limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, and It’ll be worth watching if he goes full tomorrow or if the Vikings play it safe with him.

The Vikings need to keep staying healthy as they gear up for the playoffs. Securing a win and earning the first round bye would be huge since it comes with an extra week of rest, making this week even more critical.

Had the Niners won, Minnesota would already be officially in the 2024 NFL Playoffs. But that’s okay, because the Vikings hold their own playoff destiny this week. Beat the Bears on Monday night, and they clinch a spot. A healthy roster would help. And on Friday, we got some good news in that department.

Minnesota Vikings injury report looking better as week 15 rolls along

After they held some guys out of a fully-padded practice on Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings had three players “limited” in action, on Thursday’s Vikings injury report — EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel (Hip), EDGE Pat Jones (Knee) and RB Aaron Jones (Back). Stephon Gilmore has been the lone “DNP” all week, and that did not change on Friday.

Friday's #Vikings injury report pic.twitter.com/I0gnXgcRXo

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 13, 2024

If the Minnesota Vikings want to continue their march toward being legitimate Super Bowl contenders, they need to use Monday Night Football as a national stage to broadcast their greatness to an NFL world that much of which still does not see them as a real championship threat in the NFC.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Need the 49ers to Win This Week and Next Week… and the Next Week

That’s why it is crucial, especially if Stephon Gilmore misses another week, that pass rushers like Andrew Van Ginkel and Pat Jones are available to wreak havoc on rookie QB Caleb Williams and a Bears offense that is struggling mightily to garner any sort of confidence.

As of Friday afternoon, it appears both guys, who combined for 16 sacks on the season, will both be on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings are currently more than a touchdown favorite vs the Chicago Bears.

The Vikings have been struggling with some minor injuries among several players. Even though many of them played in the game against Detroit, they still ended up on Monday’s injury report.

Minnesota Vikings Monday injury report

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t have a real practice today; it was just a walkthrough. Still, they released their first injury report of the week, and it’s once again way longer than we’d like to see.

Monday's #Vikings injury report*

*The Vikings did not hold an official practice Monday and the injury statuses are an estimation pic.twitter.com/NjN6qKzbaG

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 21, 2024

The Vikings provided an update on their estimated injury statuses following today’s unofficial practice. It appears that LB Blake Cashman, who missed Sunday’s game against the Lions, is still not on the field.

This isn’t a promising sign with a game just a couple of days away. I wouldn’t count on him being ready by Thursday, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Related: Upcoming Minnesota Vikings Game Flexed to Prime Time

Star running back Aaron Jones left the game early in Week 5 but made a comeback for the Lions matchup in Week 7, playing the whole game. The Vikings listed him as limited today, but they’re likely just being cautious with him. Honestly, I wouldn’t stress about him missing any more time.

Pat Jones and Harrison Phillips both made the injury report last week and are back on it again this week. They were limited participants in practice toward the end of the week, but both still played on Sunday.

The Vikings seem to be playing it safe with these guys, but there’s probably no reason to stress about them missing Thursday’s game.

Will TJ Hockenson and Dalton Risner be back this week?

TE TJ Hockenson could make his return this week, but he was still technically limited during practice on Monday. The Vikings were close to having him ready last week but ultimately decided to hold him out. If he’s feeling good, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back on the field by Thursday.

It’s also worth noting that Dalton Risner was listed as a full participant today, which puts him in a great position to start on Thursday night in place of Ed Ingram. This switch will definitely be an upgrade for the team.

Actives/Inactives: Minnesota Vikings final injury report vs Detroit Lions

The Minnesota Vikings final injury report was released on Friday, but changes have already been made since. The Active/Inactive report just released. Here is who is in and out vs the Detroit Lions.

Blake Cashman and Akayleb Evans were officially ruled out on Friday, after not practicing during the week. Losing Cashman is a tough hit for the Minnesota Vikings defense, especially since he’s been playing pretty well this season.

Related: 4 Stats to Know for Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings Matchup, Analyzing Impact

Who’s in, who’s out for the Minnesota Vikings

However, this opens the door for second-year standout Ivan Pace Jr., who will now take over the green dot responsibilities, meaning he will have Brian Flores in his helmet, and be tasked with relaying his calls to teammates.

T.J. Hockenson was listed as questionable on Friday, but both he and Dalton Risner were ruled out on Saturday, among a flurry of Vikings roster moves. Nonetheless, he is getting close to making his comeback and is expected to play on Thursday night vs the LA Rams.

Related: Is Ty Chandler About to Lose His RB2 Spot for the Minnesota Vikings?

Star running back Aaron Jones was also listed as questionable, earlier in the week. He is active and will play vs the Lions. Pat Jones and Harrison Phillips, two important players on the defensive line, are also active. Given Detroit’s success on the ground, this season, the Vikings need Harrison Phillips on the field.

Dalton Risner was a surprise inactive, when the Minnesota Vikings broke that news on Saturday. Nonetheless, starting RG Ed Ingram is reportedly on a short leash. Risner appeared fired up earlier in the week and ready to play, calling himself 100% and saying that he has been able to play for weeks. Instead, he’s inactive again.

Surprises like Blake Cashman, Pat Jones, Harrison Phillips, and, of course, Aaron Jones, who isn’t exactly a surprise but is still listed as week-to-week, didn’t practice yesterday. However, almost all of them were back on the field for Thursday’s practice.

Thursday Minnesota Vikings injury report

The injury report is the longest it’s been all year, which is surprising since the Vikings have been relatively healthy up until now, especially coming off a bye week. Injuries are just a part of the game, but today brought some positive updates.

Thursday's #Vikings injury report pic.twitter.com/HZqhXjlXWE

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 17, 2024

Blake Cashman, an important player on defense, has managed to stay healthy throughout the season. However, he’s recently been dealing with a toe issue that has sidelined him from practice all week. As a result, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that he’ll be able to play on Sunday against the Lions, which means Ivan Pace Jr. will take over the green dot responsibility.

Another player to watch on the injury report this week is Pat Jones, who ranks 7th in the league with 5 sacks. He’s been dealing with a shoulder injury and missed practice on Wednesday, but he managed to get in some limited work today. This is a positive sign as he aims to be ready for Sunday’s game. We’ll see if he can participate fully in practice tomorrow.

Related: Aaron Jones Injury Update: Vikings RB Keeps Thursday Practice Promise

Starting running back Aaron Jones suffered an injury during the Week 5 Minnesota Vikings victory against the New York Jets. He didn’t practice yesterday but managed to do some limited work today. His status for Sunday’s game still remains uncertain, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow.

Harrison Phillips, another crucial player on the defensive line, is dealing with a shoulder injury. Similar to Pat Jones, he missed practice yesterday but had a limited participation today, which is definitely a positive sign.

Dalton Risner and TJ Hockenson back at Practice

It’s exciting to see Dalton Risner back at Minnesota Vikings practice this week after missing the entire season so far due to a back injury. He might have the opportunity to step in and take over Ed Ingram’s spot on the offensive line this Sunday.

Tight end TJ Hockenson is also back at practice, having been returned since the Friday before the London game in Week 5. It’s looking promising for his return to be very soon, but he’s still participating in practice on a limited basis.