Vikings right tackle Phil Loadholt had to leave Saturday night’s game with a left leg injury, forcing Austin Wentworth into the lineup in the first quarter.
Loadholt’s absence became clear almost immediately as Wentworth got beaten on a blitz near the Vikings’ own end zone on a play that ended with quarterback Matt Cassel taking a safety. Loadholt was able to return to the game after x-rays in the locker room were negative, but the team still wants to be sure that everything is OK under the surface.
Loadholt will have an MRI on Sunday and coach Mike Zimmer hopes that it confirms the team’s initial suspicions about the severity of Loadholt’s injury.
“They don’t believe it’s anything real serious,” Zimmer said, via ESPN.com.
Loadholt plays a key role as a blocker for Adrian Peterson in the running game, which helped make him one of the best-paid right tackles in football and makes him an important player for the Vikings this season. That should lead to a sigh of relief or two if the initial diagnosis of Loadholt’s injury holds up after testing.