Vikings DT Michael Pierce Has Shined Since Returning From Torn Tricep

Pierce revealed he tore his tricep against the Browns in Week 4, causing him to miss seven games.

Until Tuesday, the details of the "elbow" injury that caused Vikings nose tackle Michael Pierce to miss seven games this season weren't known by the public. It seemed a bit odd that an injury that was originally treated like a short-term thing caused a trip to IR after Minnesota's bye week.

Well, now we know. Pierce revealed on Twitter that he tore his tricep sometime during or before the Week 4 loss to the Browns, which kept him out for a large chunk of the year.

That was a significant loss for the Vikings' defensive line. Pierce was playing at a high level to start the season; he sacked Joe Burrow twice in the opener and generally looked as advertised when Minnesota signed him in free agency back in March 2020. After opting out of last season, Pierce was showing Vikings fans how important he was to their defense.

The Vikings survived with Pierce out thanks to their impressive depth at defensive tackle, with Dalvin Tomlinson, Armon Watts, and Sheldon Richardson all playing at a high level. But Pierce has been incredible since returning from the injury, taking his game to another level and making a massive impact up front.

Over the past three weeks, only Aaron Donald and Chris Jones have higher PFF pass-rushing grades than Pierce (84.5) among interior defenders. He has nine pressures in that span, including a strip-sack of Ben Roethlisberger. And Pierce isn't even primarily known for his pass rushing. He's also been dominant against the run, eating up double-teams and living in the backfield. Despite only playing around 30 snaps per game to stay fresh, Pierce has made his presence felt in a big way.

Pierce's Vikings career didn't get off to the start he was hoping for. Between his high-risk opt-out in 2020 and the triceps injury this year, he only played in four of the first 27 games after signing. But the 340-pound beast known as "The Juggernaut" is back, healthy, and playing some of the best football of his career right now. 

If the Vikings are going to make a run to the playoffs, he'll be a big reason why.

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