A couple of moves as Week 17 gets underway
On Christmas Eve, the Minnesota Vikings gave themselves a gift that could prove to be very important as they prepare for their crucial NFC North matchup against Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The team announced that they have designated linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to return from injured reserve and that he will resume practicing this week in preparation for this Sunday’s game.
Pace has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury he suffered in the Vikings’ overtime victory over the Chicago Bears back in Week 12. It’s the second time that he’s missed games this season, as he was out for two weeks back in September while dealing with quad and ankle issues, causing him to miss the team’s win over the Houston Texans and their first matchup with the Packers.
While Pace has been out, the Vikings’ run defense that had been the best in the league has struggled a bit, though it still retains its standing among the top run defenses in the NFL. Pace’s return should help significantly against a Green Bay team that has shown a pretty solid commitment to running the ball in recent weeks.
The Vikings also added some secondary depth, signing former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ambry Thomas to the practice squad. Thomas was the Niners’ third-round pick out of Michigan in the 2021 NFL Draft. In his first three years in San Francisco, he appeared in 42 games with 11 starts, collecting two interceptions and 12 passes defended.
This season, the Niners placed him on injured reserve during their final cuts and, ultimately, waived him on 17 December. He was then claimed by the Indianapolis Colts but immediately waived again after failing a physical.
We’ll be keeping an eye on what the Vikings are doing in preparation for this Sunday’s game, and we’ll have the week’s first injury report for you sometime this afternoon.