We’ve known that Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin has been battling a sprained ankle for a while, but a report on Tuesday indicates it is a bit more serious than originally reported.
Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com reports that Harvin suffered a complete ligament tear in his left ankle, which is termed a Grade 3 sprain. The recovery time for that injury is typically four to six weeks, which would make Sunday’s game against the Bears smack dab in the middle at five weeks since Harvin got hurt.
Coach Leslie Frazier said Monday that he hoped to get Harvin back this week, but said that it was too early to have any real idea about his chances of playing. Harvin hasn’t traveled with the team to either of their last two games and was only been able to do one day of limited practice last week.
The Vikings passing game has been a mess the last two weeks and they’re getting no production from their wide receivers, so getting Harvin back would obviously be a good thing. He’s going to try to practice and, per Pelissero, could take a painkilling injection before the Bears game to bolster his chances of playing. Doing so would inhibit inflammation that helps Harvin heal, however, so that might not be the silver bullet the Vikings offense needs.