Vikings Message Board.Com

But it’s possible Sunday’s game will have little impact on the Vikings’ postseason placement should the Green Bay Packers (10-4) lose to the Arizona Cardinals in a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff on Sunday. If the Seahawks win or the Falcons lose, the Vikings clinch a playoff berth. If the Packers lose, the Jan. 3 season finale at Lambeau Field will decide the NFC North winner regardless of the Vikings’ result.

So, would Zimmer sit starters currently recovering from nagging injury if the situation arises?

“That’s a good question. I’ve talked about it and thought about it,” Zimmer said Wednesday. “I know that if we did something different other than play our best football — I’m too much of a competitor in each game that I wouldn’t want to fight. I do want to be smart. And that would be more so with guys that are hurt or something like that.

“It wouldn’t be — our mindest is to go win both these two games. Play our guys, game plan, prepare the way we do. Because I do think that it’s important. We’ve played good these last two games, and I think it’s important that we continue to build. If we happen to get in the playoffs, I think it’s important that we continue to push to where we want to get to.”

GoesslingESPN Anthony Barr, Linval Joseph, Harrison Smith all practicing. Adrian Peterson is not. Sharrif Floyd, Rhett Ellison, Josh Robinson also DNPs.

S197 wrote:If the game has no bearing on the outcome of the playoffs, I would sit everyone. The ultimate goal is to win the championship and winning a meaningless game does almost nothing (only intangibles like momentum) whereas sitting guys who are clearly banged up for an additional week may be a difference maker.

PurpleKoolaid wrote:I dont think it makes a lot of sense playing AD, Joseph, Smith, or Barr. Unless the season (or playoff's depend on it) or even the game, is on the line. Wouldn't a win solidify a wild card though? But better yet, if we win the last 2 games, and GB loses, we get the division, and a week off. After reading all the playoff scenarios, ive just gotten a huge headache. Im sure by the time we play the Giants, everyone will hear over and over and over, what every game means. Pretty exciting talking about playoff when we have a chance to beat any team, if we aernt all injured up.

PurpleKoolaid wrote:I dont think it makes a lot of sense playing AD, Joseph, Smith, or Barr. Unless the season (or playoff's depend on it) or even the game, is on the line. Wouldn't a win solidify a wild card though? But better yet, if we win the last 2 games, and GB loses, we get the division, and a week off. After reading all the playoff scenarios, ive just gotten a huge headache. Im sure by the time we play the Giants, everyone will hear over and over and over, what every game means. Pretty exciting talking about playoff when we have a chance to beat any team, if we aernt all injured up.

DK Sweets wrote:How often do we see teams need a quarter to adjust back to top performance out of a bye week? We can argue until we're blue in the face that it shouldn't happen, but the reality is that it *is* a thing and with a team as young as ours that has shown questionable focus through the season (SF, GB) that is a bit of a risky proposition.

I have no issue with letting our injured players sit or play limited minutes if their legs aren't healed yet (especially since Linval and Harrison seem to have superb focus) but I wouldn't let the team as a whole rest on their laurels. Especially as hot as our team has been recently, I want that focus to stay at top notch if we can help it. Sitting players would seem like a detriment to the routine to me.

S197 wrote: Well you can't let the whole team rest, the roster doesn't really allow that but you rest your crucial players. Momentum is real but as I said it's an intangible. It's no different than teams resting guys the last week when they've clinched.

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DK Sweets wrote:I feel like your dismissing the idea of momentum because it's intangible, but that doesn't make it any less important.

To me, the argument of it being different than when teams rest their starters in Week 17 is not a strong one. Teams coming off of bye weeks or first round byes frequently (but not always) take time to get back to game speed. I don't think our teams' focus or margin for error is large enough to take that chance.

PurpleKoolaid wrote:I dont think it makes a lot of sense playing AD, Joseph, Smith, or Barr. Unless the season (or playoff's depend on it) or even the game, is on the line. Wouldn't a win solidify a wild card though? But better yet, if we win the last 2 games, and GB loses, we get the division, and a week off. After reading all the playoff scenarios, ive just gotten a huge headache. Im sure by the time we play the Giants, everyone will hear over and over and over, what every game means. Pretty exciting talking about playoff when we have a chance to beat any team, if we aernt all injured up.