Stefon Diggs, Andre Smith, MyCole Pruitt; the Minnesota Vikings' injury report keeps getting longer, but the list of players who have taken a step forward in their absence is growing as well
Receiver Adam Thielen started in relief of Diggs and had a career day, while Nick Easton and Zac Kerin stepped in to help plug up an ailing offensive line.
Dynamic offensive threat Cordarrelle Patterson scored his first receiving touchdown in nearly two years, while Andrew Sendejo nabbed a critical interception, as the Vikings rolled to a 31-13 win over the Houston Texans.
Check out the Vikings' offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 5, as well as some observations from their latest win:
GAME 5: TEXANS (OFFENSE)
| PLAYER | Plays (74) | % |
| Berger | 74 | 100 |
| Boone | 74 | 100 |
| Sirles | 74 | 100 |
| Clemmings | 74 | 100 |
| Bradford | 74 | 100 |
| Rudolph | 68 | 92 |
| Thielen | 68 | 92 |
| Kerin | 66 | 89 |
| Patterson | 45 | 61 |
| Wright | 44 | 59 |
| McKinnon | 41 | 55 |
| Asiata | 34 | 46 |
| Line | 27 | 36 |
| Easton | 13 | 18 |
| Johnson | 12 | 16 |
| Pruitt | 10 | 14 |
| Treadwell | 8 | 11 |
| Fusco | 8 | 11 |
GAME 5: TEXANS (DEFENSE)
| PLAYER | Plays (74) | % |
| Sendejo | 64 | 100 |
| Kendricks | 64 | 100 |
| Barr | 64 | 100 |
| Smith | 64 | 100 |
| Griffen | 62 | 97 |
| Newman | 56 | 88 |
| Robison | 55 | 86 |
| Rhodes | 55 | 86 |
| Munnerlyn | 48 | 75 |
| Johnson | 39 | 61 |
| Joseph | 38 | 59 |
| Hunter | 38 | 59 |
| Stephen | 22 | 34 |
| Waynes | 16 | 25 |
| Alexander | 12 | 19 |
| Greenway | 7 | 11 |
-- Thielen stepped into Diggs' role and thrived, playing on 92 percent of the Vikings' offensive snaps and registering career highs in receptions (6) and receiving yards (127).
-- Tight end Kyle Rudolph's involvement in the passing game dropped off after a big game last week. He was targeted just four times and had two catches for 15 yards.
-- First-round pick Laquon Treadwell saw a career-high eight offensive snaps, while Charles Johnson was on the field for 12 snaps.
-- Johnson was targeted just once, potentially opening the door for Treadwell once the Vikings return from their bye.
-- Patterson's usage has been on the rise every week, and he responded against the Texans, hauling in his first touchdown since Week 7 of the 2014 season.
-- T.J. Clemmings has been suspect since moving from right to left tackle in relief of the injured Matt Kalil, and was beaten soundly by Whitney Mercilus, who sacked quarterback Sam Bradford once, and assisted on another.
-- Sendejo came up with his first interception of the season, picking off Brock Osweiler in the third quarter. It was his third career interception, and second in his last seven regular-season games.
-- After playing on a career-low two snaps against the New York Giants, linebacker Chad Greenway was on the field for just seven plays against the Texans.
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