6 Vikings questionable for North showdown against Lions

Ivan Pace Jr. showed up on the injury report on Friday.

Author:
Joe Nelson
Publish date:
Dec 22, 2023 6:44 PM EST

Right tackle Brian O'Neill (ankle) and running back Alexander Mattison (ankle) returned to practice on Friday, giving hope that both could return to the field Sunday against the Lions after missing the last two games.

Despite that hope, they are among six players who are officially questionable for Sunday's 12 p.m. CT kickoff against Detroit, which is a must-win game for Minnesota if they hope to at least delay Detroit's division championship.

Also questionable are...

Jordan Hicks, LB (shin)
Ivan Pace Jr., LB (shoulder)
Harrison Phillips, DT (back)
Jonathan Bullard, DE (ankle)

Hicks has said all week that he hopes to make his return after missing significant time after undergoing surgery to repair a compartment syndrome injury in his shin. Pace Jr., however, showed up on the injury report for the first time this week, perhaps hurting his shoulder in practice on Thursday or Friday.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said he "feels good" about Pace's status and that the rookie linebacker is just dealing with some shoulder soreness.

"Jordan's been flying around all week," O'Connell noted about Hicks, adding that the team will soon decide whether or not to activate him from injured reserve.

The only players ruled out for Sunday's NFC North showdown are wide receiver Jalen Nailor (concussion) and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (hamstring).

The Vikings must win Sunday to keep their chances in the NFC North alive. In fact, they have to win out and Detroit needs to lose out for the Vikings to win the division. That's a very real possibility because the Vikings play the Lions twice and Detroit's other game is at Dallas.