Redskins injury report: Adrian Peterson, Montae Nicholson questionable
By Ian Cummings
The Redskins have a short week ahead of their matchup with the Vikings, and thus, several questionable players may be game time decisions, at best.
The Washington Redskins saw several key contributors go down in the team’s 9-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Now, in the lead-up to their primetime matchup against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, the Redskins have some crucial decisions to make.
The first official injury report ahead of the Redskins Week 8 contest came out today, and it has some impactful names listed, on both sides. The injury report was first released by the Washington Redskins, and then shared further by ESPN reporter John Keim.
On the Redskins side of the ball, two new additions to the injury report include running back Adrian Peterson and safety Montae Nicholson. Both are listed as questionable, but Nicholson has not participated in practice yet this week, while Peterson was listed as a limited participant for Wednesday. Steven Sims Jr. was also limited on Tuesday and Wednesday, due to a toe issue.
For Washington, losing Peterson would be a significant development for Bill Callahan’s run-first offense. In both of the team’s past two games, Peterson has seen season-high touches, with 23 carries against Miami and 20 against San Francisco. Without his workhorse, and with Chris Thompson still out, Callahan would likely feature Wendell Smallwood in his rushing attack. Undrafted rookie Craig Reynolds was also recently promoted, and he could see snaps as well.
Nicholson’s loss on the defensive side of the ball would also be a substantial blow, as Nicholson has been a solid contributor on the back end this season. He’s made plays on the ball and proven himself as a sure tackler, and without him, Troy Apke will get the brunt of the reps at free safety. Apke played well against the 49ers, but his play is likely to be volatile in a larger sample size.
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The Vikings haven’t been immune to the injury bug, either. They’ll be without star receiver Adam Thielen, but it’s worth noting that Kirk Cousins lit up the Lions even after Thielen left the game in Week 7, so the Vikings can still scheme around this loss and move forward. Everyone else on their report participated in full on Wednesday. The Vikings come into this one considerably more healthy than Washington’s squad.