Minnesota Vikings see excellent news on Thursday injury report, but it comes at a significant cost

The Minnesota Vikings are just four days away from facing the Detroit Lions in a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes in good standing. Dropping to 3-5 would be a brutal hit for the purple and gold, especially when you consider how difficult the schedule look like the rest of the season.

The good news is that J.J. McCarthy is set to return as the starting quarterback. Hopefully, the duo of Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill will be back to help protect him against Aidan Hutchinson.

Thursday's injury report brings different challenges for the Vikings, and they aren't all good.

Minnesota Vikings Thursday injury report

Observations

• McCarthy and Van Ginkel continue taking the necessary steps forward to play on Sunday.
• Oliver's foot injury isn't what you would call good, but it will likely keep him out of the game on Sunday. That will impact whatever running game the Vikings currently have.
• Greenard improving from limited to full is massive for his status on Sunday. He did say that there was no way he wasn't going to play on Sunday, but it's good to see him improve regardless.
• Darrisaw downgrading from full to did not practice is brutal. The same thing happened last week on the final injury report, one day before the Vikings played the Los Angeles Chargers. Darrisaw tried giving it a go, but he lasted just two series before missing the rest of the game. What we don't know is if this is the planned rest day or a true setback, because he was already listed once on the report with a knee injury.

Detroit Lions Thursday injury report

Observations

• There are some really good players on here for the Lions. The most significant is Joseph, who is still dealing with a knee injury. The fact that he didn't practice out of the bye week is a big deal.
• Decker missing the game could be a big deal, especially if Greenard and Van Ginkel end up playing. If Decker doesn't play, it could be a huge benefit for Brian Flores.
• The Lions will likely get Arnold back this week, but he's been up and down during his career, and going against the Vikings' stable of receivers could be just what the doctor ordered for Kevin O'Connell.

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