Vikings star receiver Adam Thielen is active to play in Saturday's divisional playoff against the 49ers. A few days ago, that seemed very much in doubt after a scary scene in practice, as described in detail by sources informed of the situation.
When Thielen got his feet tangled with a teammate during Wednesday's practice, a teammate's cleat broke through the shoe and sock covering the back of his left heel. Sources say he received four stitches to close the wound.
Blood was quickly present and the immediate fear was that he'd torn his Achilles. While players showed signs of panic, the Vikings had a doctor on site who was brought quickly onto the field to handle the situation. When Thielen's heel was sufficiently numb and the doctors were checking him out, the first thing he did was reach down and grab his Achilles to make sure it was intact. When he felt around and knew there was no tear, he felt relief.
Thielen and the Vikings took every precaution. He got a second opinion from noted expert Dr. Robert Anderson and spent some time in a boot. There was no additional damage.
Thielen declined to discuss details with reporters. But in a brief conversation at his locker with NFL.com, Thielen said the remaining 48 hours until kickoff would be about "just focusing on what I can control and just trying to be as prepared as possible -- obviously mentally, but just trying to get as close to a hundred percent physically as I can, and then let it ride."
Coming off a monster game (seven catches, 129 yards) in a wild-card upset of the Saints, can Thielen be himself just three days after the injury?
"Yeah, I think so," Thielen said. "I don't know, we'll see. We'll find out on Saturday."
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