The Minnesota Vikings activated running back Dalvin Cook from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday but lost wide receiver Adam Thielen for the remaining two games of the season.
Cook will be eligible to play Sunday night when the Vikings travel to Green Bay to face the Packers. On the season, he has carried the ball 226 times for 1,067 yards and six touchdowns. Cook, 26, has rushed for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons.
As for Thielen, the Vikings put him on season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday. Multiple outlets reported he had ankle surgery on Tuesday.
Thielen, 31, was limited to 13 games this season. The two-time Pro Bowl selection, in his eighth season in Minnesota, had 67 receptions for 726 yards for a career-low 10.8 yards per catch in 2021. He caught 10 touchdown passes.
Also Wednesday, the Vikings announced that rookie defensive end Patrick Jones II was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and defensive back Tye Smith was restored to the practice squad. Smith had been on the practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Vikings (8-7) close the season at Green Bay (12-3), currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and then host the Chicago Bears (5-10) on Jan. 9. The Vikings are still in the playoff hunt but on the outside looking in.
The San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles both have 8-7 records and currently hold the wild-card playoff spots.
