Vikings notes: Four injured starters to be shelved in Detroit

The Vikings will be without four of their starters in Detroit on Sunday.

Rookie linebacker Anthony Barr, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, safety Robert Blanton and left guard Charlie Johnson were all ruled out on Friday because of injuries.

It will be the second consecutive game Barr has missed because of a knee injury he initially suffered against the Bears in Week 11.

Floyd, who also has a knee injury, will be replaced by rookie defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, who has started the past three games. Barr's replacement is linebacker Gerald Hodges, who returned an interception for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage last week against the Jets.

Johnson (ankle) and Blanton (ankle/knee) didn't practice all week after suffering injuries in the overtime victory over the Jets. Vladimir Ducasse takes over at left guard and Andrew Sendejo at strong safety.

Sendejo has been the backup at both free and strong safety. He played both positions last week with Blanton and safety Harrison Smith suffering injuries at different points in the game.

"When a starter goes down, you want to be able to step up and fill that void," Sendejo said. "That's what I did, and that's what I'm going to go in there and do. I've done that before in the past, and for the most part I've done a decent job of showing them if they need me to come in when someone goes down, they can count on me. "

Zimmer didn't know the Vikings were eliminated, but he doesn't plan on resting players during the final three games.

"Players, if they're healthy they play," Zimmer said. "That's why we get paid — to go out here and play."

Lions safety Glover Quin has had an outstanding season in his second year in Detroit. He has an interception in each of the past two games, putting him in a three-way tie for second in the NFL with five picks.

In his first matchup against the Vikings, Quin snagged a ball from rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who threw three interceptions. Quin baited Bridgewater into throwing into double coverage.

"He's always been a pretty good safety," Zimmer said. "Their defensive backs are very aggressive. They sit on a lot of routes, they play coverage very tight. It helps and then with the rush they have, it helps to do those things, but he's a good player."