Chris Polk, Matt Kalil Injury Updates

Minnesota Vikings tackle Matt Kalil (75) smiles after the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. The Vikings won 23-6. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles second-year RB Chris Polk suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and CSN Philly’s Reuben Frank reports that the Washington Huskies product has been downgraded to “out” for this week’s rivalry matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Polk is the team’s No. 3 back behind LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown, and he also plays significantly on the Eagles special teams unit. A Twitter follower of Frank’s asked the Eagles beat guy if the team will promote Matthew Tucker as the No. 3 back for this week’s game, and that seems like a likelihood at this point.

In six appearances this season, Polk has received just five carries but has turned them into 36 total rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He has also caught two passes for 19 yards, and it’s an upgrade from a rookie campaign in which Polk appeared in seven games but only played on special teams.

Minnesota Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil isn’t playing nearly as well as he did as a rookie, but I still think he has been solid even if Greg Hardy did get the better of him last week. I am concerned that we might not see Kalil play on Monday night against the New York Giants, as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Chip Scoggins reports that Kalil missed practice today with back tightness. He didn’t practice yesterday either, so we’ll see what the second-year star out of USC’s official injury report status is.

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