National Football League

Vikings' Smith expected to play Sunday, as Greenway gets closer

Published Oct. 8, 2014 5:45 p.m. ET

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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- When safety Harrison Smith left the Minnesota Vikings facility last week heading out on a three-day break, he was on crutches and wearing a walking boot on his left foot.

By Wednesday he was running conditioning drills on the side during the team's practice and didn't seem bothered by the ankle injury he suffered in last week's game.

Smith, tied for the NFL lead with three interceptions, was officially held out of Minnesota's practice on Wednesday. Smith and linebacker Chad Greenway worked with a Vikings athletic trainer on the side during practice.

Smith is expected to be in the lineup when Minnesota hosts the Detroit Lions.

"He did a lot today, this morning in the walk-through," coach Mike Zimmer said earlier in the day. "I expect that he's probably going to play."

Meanwhile, Greenway is getting closer to a return after missing the past two games with broken ribs and a broken hand. Greenway has done conditioning drills on the side the past two days, but hasn't returned to practice.

Zimmer said Greenway might practice this week. Greenway's availability has been mostly dependent on the healing of three broken ribs.

"He's getting closer," Zimmer said. "He's running now and starting to be pain-free."

Smith said he shed the walking boot soon after he was seen by reporters on Friday and was feeling better on Wednesday.

"It feels a lot better than I thought it would," Smith said. "That's still something that's kind of out of my hands. I'm going to leave it to the coaches and the trainers but I'm going to do the best I can to prepare myself."

Smith's presence is an important one for the Vikings, as he's arguably been the best defensive player for the team through the season's first five games.

Smith is just fourth on the team with 26 tackles, but he has one of the eight sacks, two tackles for loss, a team-leading three interceptions and a team-high six pass deflections.

"The thing I like the most about Harrison is he's a good competitor," Zimmer said. "He's got a lot of toughness in him, a lot of grit. He's a quiet leader, kind of. He's not really a big vocal kind of guy, and I think that's part of him feeling out the new system and everything else. I assume he'll be more and more as we continue to go."

Tight end Kyle Rudolph missed practice as he continues to rehab from double sports hernia surgery. Receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (hip) and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (elbow) were limited on Wednesday.

Receiver Jarius Wright returned to practice after missing Tuesday due to a personal matter.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (ankle) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice. Running backs Jerick McKinnon (ankle) and Matt Asiata (groin) practiced fully.

For Detroit, star receiver Calvin Johnson (ankle) and running back Reggie Bush (ankle) didn't practice on Wednesday and both could miss Sunday's game.

"Well, they still have some good weapons," Zimmer said. "Golden Tate is still an excellent receiver and (Matt) Stafford is an excellent quarterback. They're going to be different. I'd be joking if I said they wouldn't be the exact same.

"We're not good enough to take anybody lightly or worry about anything, who isn't going to be there and who is going to be there. We'll adjust obviously if they don't play, but it's still mostly about us and what we do and how we do it."

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