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 next weekend's trip to Chicago. Missing from the workout, however: receivers Percy Harvin and Michael Jenkins.
Harvin is still sidelined with 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 further treatment on the ankle.
Jenkins, meanwhile, is dealing with a foot problem that arose after he headed home for the bye. Head coach Leslie Frazier said the veteran receiver is experiencing soreness and tenderness and was given Monday off as a precaution.
The Vikings are still 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 head coach said.
In other highlights from Frazier's Monday press conference:
- Nose tackle Letroy Guion was back at practice and seemed to be moving around well after sitting out the Vikings' Week 10 win over Detroit with a turf toe issue.
- The Vikings replaced the turf in their indoor practice facility during the bye week. And Frazier said the new field, identical to the playing surface at Mall of America Field, had the players excited. "I appreciate our ownership getting that done coming out of the bye," Frazier said. "It's kind of refreshing for our players to come back and practice on the surface that they play on. So they were pretty excited about that. Especially some of our veteran guys."
