Vikings likely lose Winfield for season

Antoine Winfield's short-circuited 2011 season is likely over after fracturing his clavicle against the Green Bay Packers.

As if a 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers wasn’t bad enough, the Minnesota Vikings also lost Antoine Winfield to a fractured clavicle that is likely season-ending.

Winfield was still on the field with five minutes to go in the game as the Packers mounted their final touchdown drive, so it’s unclear exactly when the injury happened, but head coach Leslie Frazier feared Winfield’s season is over.

"I don't see him being able to come back from that,” Frazier said.

That would leave the Vikings even more short-handed than they are already in the defensive backfield with Chris Cook still away from the team while facing felony domestic assault charges and Husain Abdullah suffering his second concussion of the season.

Cedric Griffin still appears to be affected by two torn anterior cruciate ligaments over the previous two seasons, and Asher Allen started the season with a toe injury that limited him.

Winfield was making his first appearance in more than a month after missing the previous four games with a neck injury he suffered on Oct. 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Tim Yotter is the publisher of Viking Update. Follow Viking Update on Twitter and discuss this topic on our message boards. To become a subscriber to the Viking Update web site or magazine, click here.

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