The Minnesota Vikings lost Irv Smith Jr. to a meniscus tear about a week and a half ago, causing the upstart tight end to miss all of 2021. He was supposed to break out in his third season, but those plans will just have to pause for one season.
After that, the Vikings are dealing with several minor [normal] injuries and a couple of eyebrow-raisers. The minor stuff pertains to Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, and Alexander Mattison. Nobody really considered those three would miss the start of the season, and all indications are that each man will play Sunday at the Cincinnati Bengals.