Inside The Vikings

Vikings-Giants Inactives: Harrison Smith, Kene Nwangwu Active for Minnesota

Cameron Dantzler is inactive for the Vikings after dealing with a serious personal matter this week.
Will Ragatz|
Vikings-Giants Inactives: Harrison Smith, Kene Nwangwu Active for Minnesota
Vikings-Giants Inactives: Harrison Smith, Kene Nwangwu Active for Minnesota

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Minnesota Vikings

Harrison Smith and Kene Nwangwu are good to go for the Vikings' playoff opener against the Giants.

Smith (knee) and Nwangwu (illness) were both listed as questionable on Friday, but Kevin O'Connell expressed confidence that they'd be available. He was right. Both players will play.

A little knee soreness was always unlikely to keep Smith out of this game. The Vikings' longest-tenured player will appear in his seventh playoff game with the franchise, dating back to his rookie year in 2012. The NFL's active co-leader in interceptions — he's tied at 34 with teammate Patrick Peterson and New England's Devin McCourty — is still searching for his first postseason INT.

Nwangwu will be back to return kicks for the Vikings, although he may not get any opportunities. When these teams played three weeks ago, all six of the Giants' kickoffs were touchbacks.

Backup cornerback Cameron Dantzler is inactive after dealing with a serious personal matter this week. Hopefully everything's alright on that front. Dantzler was surpassed in the starting lineup by Duke Shelley earlier this season. If either Shelley or Peterson have to come out of this game, it would be Kris Boyd or Kalon Barnes stepping in on the outside.

Also inactive for the Vikings: DT Ross Blacklock, OLB Luiji Vilain, RB Ty Chandler, and DT Esezi Otomewo.

Kickoff is at 3:40 p.m. CT on FOX.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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