Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen officially is listed as questionable for Saturday's NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the 49ers at Levi's Stadium, but he reportedly feared he'd be out for much longer.
Thielen sustained an ankle injury in Wednesday's practice after getting his feet tangled with a teammate. The teammate's cleat "broke through the shoe and sock covering the back of [Thielen's] left heel," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Saturday, leading to "the immediate fear that he'd torn his Achilles."
"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," Rapoport and Pelissero wrote. "When he felt around and knew there was no tear, he felt relief."
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Thielen seems to have quickly moved on from those initial fears. He told NFL Network on Thursday (h/t 49ers.com) that he was "going to do whatever it takes to be out there on Saturday with my teammates.”
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The 29-year-old played in just 10 regular-season games this season, catching 30 passes for 418 yards and six touchdowns. He made a big impact in the Vikings' NFC Wild Card Game upset of the New Orleans Saints last week, catching seven passes for 129 yards.
Though he and fellow standout wideout Stefon Diggs are ailing, both players are capable of posing problems to the 49ers. Of the players on the remaining playoff teams, only two had more receiving yards this season than Diggs (1,130).