EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are feeling the sting of two straight key losses on the road in the NFC North, but at least Sunday didn't add injury to the insult.
Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier said Monday that he didn't have any new news to add regarding injured receiver Percy Harvin, who missed his third straight game Sunday, a 23-14 loss at Green Bay. Frazier was hopeful Harvin might return to practice later this week, but didn't have any firm indication about the status of the team's leading receiver.
Meanwhile, All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen is dealing with lower back spasms in addition to the torn labrum in his shoulder that he confirmed to reporters after the game. Center John Sullivan, a key leader on the offense, suffered a rib contusion.Frazier didn't believe Allen's or Sullivan's injuries would likely keep them from Sunday's home against Chicago.
"We'll have to do an MRI just to make sure there's nothing else going on there and we should have (Allen) for the ballgame," Frazier said. "It shouldn't be a problem. John Sullivan has a rib contusion, should be fine as we prepare for the ballgame. Other than that we should be pretty good."
Allen had 1.5 sacks on Sunday, snapping a stretch of three straight games without a sack, and raising his season-total to 8.5 for the season, tied for 12th in the league after posting a league-high 22 sacks last season.
Reports surfaced from FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer early Sunday that Allen has been dealing with the torn labrum all season and would likely need surgery in the offseason.Allen, 30, has said many times he's spent more time in the training room this year than any other season of his career, but the shoulder trouble, which has been listed on the injury report since Nov. 11, hadn't been classified as a torn labrum until Sunday.
"Hats off to our training staff, I've been banged up a lot this year and I haven't had to miss a practice for it," Allen told reporters after Sunday's game. "It probably happened last season, but it hasn't limited me in anything from practice or anything like that."
Harvin, who still has a team-leading 62 catches and 677 receiving yards, has been out since spraining his ankle badly in Week 9 against Seattle. Without him, the passing offense has struggled mightily in the past two games, post 144 yards passing in a loss at Chicago two weeks and 119 in Sunday's loss.
"He did a little bit with our trainer today, we'll learn a little bit more as the week goes on," Frazier said. "Hopefully, we can get him back but there's no certainty there obviously."
Harvin had returned to practice for one day last week, before sitting out the final two practice days.
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