One of the many reasons to be impressed by the Minnesota Vikings has been their play in the last five games. Yes, the offense -- led by the great Brett Favre -- has been out of this world, but the Vikings have won four out of the five games they've played without All-Pro cornerback Antoine Winfield.Despite some indications that Winfield would be back this week, the Vikings will play a sixth straight game without Winfield when they host the Chicago Bears.
Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports on his Twitter page that Winfield is inactive for the game. The cornerback hurt his foot six weeks ago, and initial reports had Winfield missing four to six weeks.
That would indicate that Winfield's return is imminent, though it won't happen this week. Perhaps head coach Brad Childress sees the way his defense is playing, and finds that there is no reason to rush Winfield back in the lineup until he's certain Winfield is 100 percent.
In other Vikings news for Sunday, running back Adrian Peterson (ankle, illness) and wide receiver Percy Harvin (illness) are active for the game. Left guard Anthony Herrera (concussion) is inactive, so Artis Hicks will start in his place.
