Vikings notes: Griffen says '100 percent' he'll play

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, a surprise game-day scratch because of an illness Sunday, returned to practice Thursday and said there's a "100 percent" chance of him playing against the Lions this week.

The team's sack leader looked strong in drills during the open portion of practice and was listed on the injury report as full participation.

"He looked good today," coach Mike Zimmer said. "Practiced hard. Good to go."

Griffen said he went to Hennepin County Medical Center on Sunday morning and was given precautionary tests for an illness he wouldn't disclose. He was back home in time to watch the final minutes of the Vikings' 16-10 win over the Chiefs, but follow-up tests Wednesday delayed his return.

"I just felt sick [on Sunday]," Griffen said. "I felt like I wasn't all the way where I needed to be. I'm thankful because I could have gone out there and gotten injured or something bad could have happened. But I went to Hennepin County and everything checked out right and I'm happy to be back.

"I'm back with my teammates, and I'm feeling healthy and feeling strong. And I'm ready to go out there and beat Detroit."

The last time Adrian Peterson passed Jamal Lewis, it took 296 yards to break his NFL single-game rushing record by 1 yard. That came in 2007 in Peterson's eighth NFL game.

"It feels good; it lets you know that the work you're putting in is paying off," Peterson said. "Kind of reminds you of how blessed you are. And when you look at the names that are still yet to be passed, it's even more motivation to continue to do what you're doing."

The Vikings rank last in the league in net passing (179.6), but offensive coordinator Norv Turner made a case that quarterback Teddy Bridge­water and the receivers are more than adequately complementing a team that's built around defense, running back Adrian Peterson and favorable field position.

"I'm really excited about the way Teddy is playing," Turner said. "I think he has a great understanding of what we have to do on offense to win. The thing that's exciting to me is we got very good balance in the passing game. We're getting big plays. I think we had a 52-yarder on the first drive [Sunday]. We're consistently getting plays over 20 yards. We're still throwing at a high percentage. And obviously at home we've done a great job protecting the quarterback [three sacks]. We've got to carry that over to the road [12 sacks] starting this week."

Turner praised the receivers for being understanding, which, as many people know, isn't always the case with receivers. He said the receivers would love for every full game to be like the second half of the Broncos game or the first half of the Chiefs game, when Bridgewater opened with 176 yards.

"But they understand who we are and that we have to give Adrian and our offensive line opportunities to do things," Turner said. "We're growing as an offense."

Also missing all of practice again was backup defensive end Justin Trattou (ankle).

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (thumb) was a new addition to the injury report, but he had full participation.

Limited again in practice were cornerback Terence Newman (ankle), offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings (knee) and running backs Matt Asiata (rib) and Adrian Peterson (finger). Everyone else had full participation.

Zimmer said Peterson's finger injury shouldn't affect his ability to hold the football. Meanwhile, Peterson, when asked if the injury was preventing him from doing anything, said: "It was a little sore. But, nah, not really."