Vikings place defensive end Danielle Hunter on injured reserve

Just weeks after adding an elite pass rusher by trading for Yannick Ngakoue, the Vikings have lost one, at least for the time being. Defensive end Danielle Hunter has been placed on injured reserve, ruling him out for at least three weeks thanks to the NFL’s adjusted rules for injured reserve this year. More importantly, though, he’s out for the Packers/Vikings game on Sunday.

Hunter hasn’t practiced for the Vikings since Aug. 14, nursing an injury that Mike Zimmer has consistently downplayed, describing it in the past as just a “tweak” Hunter has been working through.

Previously, Hunter has been quite durable. He hasn’t missed a game for Minnesota since his rookie year, when he was sidelined for just two. In addition to being healthy, Hunter’s been productive, piling up 54.5 sacks for a Vikings defense that consistently ranks among the league’s best.

Hunter has been especially difficult for the Packers to contain, recording 5.5 sacks in 10 career games against the Packers. He took down Aaron Rodgers once in each of the games the Packers played against the Vikings last year.