The Alexander Mattison injury update for the Minnesota Vikings Week 15 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals is not good, as the running back is officially out for the game.

Mattison suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter of the Vikings' ugly 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. The RB hasn’t practiced since, and on Thursday, the team officially ruled him out for Sunday’s Bengals clash, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported.

The Vikings RB was one of the team’s lone offensive bright spots in the Raiders win. He ran for 66 yards on 10 carries before going out. After the Alexander Mattison injury, Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu couldn’t replicate that success. The pair combined for just 38 yards on 14 carries in Week 14.

The Vikings need this Week 15 Bengals game

Kevin O'Connell in the 'Silvia Pepe' meme from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

As the 2023 NFL season winds down, the Wild Card playoff races in both divisions are heating up. the Vikings head into Week 15 at 7-6 and are in sole possession of the No. 6 seed in the NFC. However, one loss will shake things up dramatically.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Vikings QB competition heats up as Sam Darnold, JJ McCarthy shine
Vikings rookie Dallas Turner breaks silence on teammate Khyree Jackson’s death
Surprising Vikings player who will make or break 2024 NFL season
Falcons’ Kirk Cousins gets huge training camp injury update after 2023 Achilles tear

The Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all one game behind the Vikes at 6-7. One of those last three teams will get the No. 4 seed as the winner of the dreadful NFC South, but the race for those final playoff spots starts this Sunday.

Minnesota’s biggest issue on Sunday, though, is that the Bengals need the game just as much. They are currently one of six AFC teams at 7-6 that are competing for the final two playoff spots in that conference.