The Vikings returned from their bye week Monday morning and went through a light, 55-minute practice to get back into the swing of things as they prepare for a weekend trip to Chicago. Missing from the workout, however, were receivers Percy Harvin and Michael Jenkins.
Harvin still is sidelined because of a sprained left ankle, an injury he suffered in the second half of a Week 9 loss in Seattle. Harvin did not play against Detroit on Nov. 11 and stayed behind in the Twin Cities last week to receive treatment on the ankle.
Jenkins, meanwhile, is dealing with a foot problem that arose after he headed home for the bye. Coach Leslie Frazier said the veteran receiver is experiencing soreness and tenderness and was given Monday off as a precaution.
The Vikings still are hoping Harvin can show enough to be ready for Sunday's game with the Bears. The swelling in his ankle has subsided significantly, according to Frazier. Now it's a matter of Harvin getting comfortable putting pressure on the ankle.
Frazier's hope is to have Harvin back on the practice field in a limited capacity Wednesday. But it's uncertain whether that wish will come true.
"We'll see where he is on Wednesday and hopefully we'll be able to see him do a little bit," the coach said.
Improvement needed While the players had some time off, the coaches spent much of the bye doing some self-scouting. So what conclusions were reached for the offense?
"They talked about what we needed to work on, and the big thing is our turnover differential," quarterback Christian Ponder said. "And our Red Zone [offense]. Those are two things that we've got to work on, especially with our schedule stacked up."
