After entering the year with two new starters on the offensive line, the Vikings will head into Week 2 with another change.
Right guard Pat Elflein, who hadn’t been on the team’s injury report before Thursday, was placed on injured reserve after missing Thursday’s practice with what is reportedly a thumb injury. The Vikings would have had to list Elflein’s specific injury on their Thursday injury report; the fact they placed him on injured reserve before they issued their injury report meant they did not have to publicly disclose the injury, much like when they placed Danielle Hunter on IR last week before they would have had to disclose the neck injury that coach Mike Zimmer would only describe as a “tweak” during Hunter’s three-week absence in training camp.