When we last spoke about the ongoing situation with Minnesota Vikings’ de

fensive end Everson Griffen Minnesota Vikings Jerseys 2019 , it was to bring you a report from Adam Schefter that said the team didn’t expect #97 to be back on the field any time soon.As you might expect with a situation like this, things change quite a bit. Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune was on hand for Mike Zimmer’s press conference on Thursday afternoon, and brings us the following pair of tweets:Krammer did confirm that Griffen’s return would not be this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium.As we’ve stated in pretty much every story about the Griffen situation since we first got wind of it, obviously the most important thing is for Griffen to get himself in a good place mentally, and then worry about making a return to the football field. As much as we all want to see him out there, that has to be the first priority for him and the team.That said, I’m certain this won’t be the last update that we’ll have on Everson Griffen going forward. We don’t have any sources or anything like that within the organization, so we’re just sort of rolling with the reports we get from other sources on this one. But Irv Smith black jersey , if Mike Zimmer’s demeanor on Thursday is any indication, we might be getting closer to the return of Sack Daddy after all. EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have reached the final week of the regular season with a spot in the playoffs still unsecured and a surging division rival boasting one of the NFL’s best defenses on the schedule.This is the type of game, then, for Kirk Cousins to make good on that $84 million in guaranteed money. The NFC North champion Chicago Bears will pose a stiff challenge, as the Vikings are well aware from their previous matchup last month.“There will always be excitement, nerves, anxiety Irv Smith Jersey Mens , butterflies, whatever you want to call it. That will always be there. This matters to me,” Cousins said when asked about his ability to manage his emotions in high-stakes games. “I joke with people that when the math teacher junior year of high school said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pop quiz,’ you start to feel the butterflies. Because you want to do well. It matters to you. Frankly, I think when I have butterflies, I play a little better because it heightens your awareness and your attention to detail and your sense of urgency.”With Khalil Mack bringing a relentless pass rush from the edge Irv Smith Jersey nfl draft , Akiem Hicks blowing up running plays in the middle, and Kyle Fuller leading the clampdown in the secondary, the Bears made the first three quarters of that game on Nov. 18 miserable for Cousins and the offense . The Vikings had only 77 total yards in the first half, lost a fumble and didn’t score until the last play of the third quarter. Cousins took two 8-yard sacks and threw two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.The Vikings rallied late in the 25-20 loss“This is not a defense that we’re going against that teams are putting 50 points up against, or having 500 yards of offense, and that may not be the game that’s required to win,” Cousins said. “If our defense and special teams play really well Everson Griffen Jersey , who knows? Offensively, if we don’t have the most dynamic day but we come out with a win, then that’s what we do.”The Bears (11-4) are assured of at least the No. 3 seed, with the chance to move up and get a first-round bye with a victory over the Vikings (8-6-1) and a loss by the Los Angeles Rams at home to the San Francisco 49ers. With a win, the Vikings will return to the playoffs and set up a likely rematch with the Bears next week in the wild-card round. If they lose, they would need the Philadelphia Eagles to lose at Washington to keep their postseason spot.“We’ve got a lot of guys who have a lot of pride and character, so I think they’ll be ready for the challenge,” coach Mike Zimmer said Anthony Barr Jersey , “and it will be a great challenge. We’ll obviously need the home fans there and nice and loud for us, but I feel good about it.”Cousins has had his share of shaky performances in his first year in Minnesota, where he’s signed through 2020. The Bears prompted one of those, but he bounced back the following week to beat the Packers with one of his best games of the season. That’s the kind of resilience Cousins has relied on throughout his career and that the Vikings have exhibited in five years under Zimmer.“It’s not just necessarily with the quarterback,” Zimmer said. “It’s with your whole football team, that you have that kind of mentality that we’re going to fight through this little bit of struggle that we’re having right now and get back to work and good things are going to happen if we keep fighting.”