Ivan

Pace

Rypien will be the emergency third quarterback for the game behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens. The Vikings will have Ivan Pace Jr. active after they activated the linebacker off injured reserve Saturday.

Pace missed the minimum four games before proving healthy enough to make a return from injured reserve, immediately boosting a Minnesota defense that has slipped a bit of late. Expect Pace to immediately see his normal allotment of defensive snaps as the team pushes for the No. 1 seed out of the NFC.

Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. is listed as questionable. Smith missed Week 16 with the foot issue but is back in action for Minnesota’s NFC North showdown with the Packers. The veteran safety has two interceptions and nine pass breakups this year.

He’ll miss at least the next four games. Pace Jr. hasn’t been quite the force he was in 2023 as a coverage player in his second season, but his 85.6 PFF run defense grade shows how important he is for the Vikings run defense. He left Week 12’s game against the Bears after just five snaps. Kamu Grugier-Hill picked up most of the snaps next to Blake Cashman in his absence.

Pace has a real chance to play this week, as does LB Blake Cashman (toe). Both players practiced in full on Friday. The Jaguars could opt for a run-heavy approach with Mac Jones potentially suiting up in place of Trevor Lawrence (shoulder). Having Pace and Cashman in the lineup would give the Vikings a big boost in derailing that type of game plan.

The good news is that the Vikings may be getting some reinforcements at linebacker. Blake Cashman was back on the practice field today after missing multiple games with a turf toe injury. Cashman led the Vikings in tackles before going down with the injury and Pace currently leads the team with 50 combined tackles. He also has two sacks and a scoop-and-score touchdown.

Linebacker Ivan Pace was the only player ruled out for Minnesota. Turner missed Week 3 with the knee issue. He returned to the practice field for all three sessions before being cleared from the injury report on Friday. Turner has one sack and one TFL through two games. He will look to get back on the board versus a hobbled Jordan Love or Malik Willis this week.

Linebacker Ivan Pace was also ruled out. Turner tweaked his knee and Week 2 and did not practice this week before being listed as out. It’s a tough blow for a Minnesota defense that has started the year red-hot by shredding the Giants before bottling up a much more formidable San Francisco offense. Turner logged his first TFL in Week 1 and notched his first career sack last week.

Hicks suffered a bruised shin, spending time in the hospital and getting a procedure done for compartment syndrome. The veteran has been a key starter on the Vikings, spending the last two seasons with the team. The Vikings have put Hicks on injured reserve, sidelining him at least four games. Rookie Ivan Pace Jr. will step into a bigger role while LB Anthony Barr was signed to the Vikings’ practice squad for depth. The team also added RB Myles Gaskin to the practice squad.

Pace (5’10/231) was a part-time player at Miami of Ohio as a freshman. Though he didn’t see much action during this time, he did make a name for himself as a pass-rush specialist with a six-sack game versus Akron. He only appeared in three games as a sophomore before breaking out with 125 tackles, 13 TFLs, and four sacks in 2021. He followed this up with an even more impressive season as a senior. After transferring to Cincinnati, Pace totaled 20.5 TFLs and nine sacks in 2022. Pace has an uncanny game sense and packs a punch despite his undersized frame. His stature may limit him at the next level, but he has a future as a rotational, weakside linebacker and a blitzer.