The Vikings could be without receiver Sidney Rice and cornerback Antoine Winfield for Sunday's game with Washington at the Metrodome.
Both were at Winter Park on the players' day off Tuesday receiving treatment. Winfield suffered a strained pectoral muscle near his left shoulder, and Rice sprained his ankle in the Vikings' 20-13 victory over Chicago on Monday night. The fact the Vikings have a shorter week than normal won't help matters.
"These guys don't have a lot of time to recover, so their status is uncertain right now," said coach Brad Childress, discussing the injuries during his news conference Tuesday.
Winfield's injury is the latest setback in what has been a frustrating season. After not missing a game the past two years, the veteran corner has sat out four times this season because of a hamstring injury. Rookie Marcus McCauley moved into the starting role when Winfield was out previously and took over for him in the second half Monday.
Winfield said on KFAN (1130 AM) Tuesday that his shoulder was sore and a little swollen.
Rice has played in all but one game this season, sitting out Nov. 11 at Green Bay because of a strained hamstring. A rookie, Rice is second on the Vikings with 31 receptions and has a team-high four touchdown catches.
Childress isn't sure how much either Winfield or Rice will be able to practice this week.
The Vikings are also concerned about backup linebacker Dontarrious Thomas, who has been bothered by a groin injury. Safety Tank Williams, who missed the past three games because of a knee injury, is expected to resume practicing today.
Tough night Long snapper Cullen Loeffler is usually one of the best in the business, but he struggled Monday. Loeffler had three poor snaps, and one in the third quarter led to kicker Ryan Longwell missing an extra-point attempt.
Asked about Loeffler's struggles, Childress said: "The one thing that is going on with him is his wife is in labor, so I don't know if he was able to block that out of his mind or not. That was pointed out to me after the game. [It is his] first child, so whether he was distracted or whatever, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."
Etc. • Kenechi Udeze, who did not have a sack in 2006, had the Vikings' only sack Monday and is tied with Ray Edwards for the team lead with five this season.
• Running backs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor broke the Vikings team record for combined rushing yards by two players; they now have 2,025 this season. Robert Smith and Daunte Culpepper set the previous mark of 1,991 yards in 2000.
• The Vikings reported they had about 1,400 tickets left for Sunday's game as of Tuesday afternoon. Those tickets need to be sold 72 hours before kickoff to avoid a television blackout. Given the team's five-game winning streak and the willingness of the corporate community to help the Vikings avoid blackouts this season, the situation should not be a concern.
• The Vikings have 19 plays of 50-plus yards this season, tying a franchise record set in 1998. This year's team has six kickoff returns, six passes, five runs and two interception returns of 50 or more yards.
