Toby Gerhart

Viking head coach Leslie Frazier indicated during his press conference today that he expects both Adrian Peterson (foot,groin) and Toby Gerhart (hamstring) to be able to play Sunday when the Vikings play at Cincinnati against the Bengals December 22 at noon, pregame on WJON at 11am.

Replacement referree Ken Roan worked the Vikings/49ers game in Minnesota Sunday and admitted he mistakenly awarded 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh two challenges after the coach had called his last timeout on Sunday. The Vikings were trying to run out the clock when Toby Gerhart fumbled on 3rd down. The 49ers used their final timeout and then were awarded a challenge and given their timeout back.

The Vikings host the San Diego Chargers in what's considered a dress rehearsal for the regular season. The starters are expected to play into the 3rd quarter including quarterback Christian Ponder. Head coach Leslie Frazier says he'll limit the touches for running back Toby Gerhart because he'll be needed when the regular season starts against Jacksonville.

The Vikings lost 17-6 in their preseason opener Friday night. Christian Ponder engineered both scoring drives that led to two field goals in the first quarter from rookie Blair Walsh. Ponder was 4-10 passing for 80 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Joe Webb was less impressive passing throwing for just 20 yards on 4-11 passing. McLeod Bethel-Thompson was the 3rd quarterback and he was 3-7 passing for 49 yards in the 4th quarter.

The Vikings lost 17-13 at home to the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon to close the season with a 3-13 record. Jared Allen had 3 1/2 sacks to set a franchise record for most sacks in a season. He finishes with 22 sacks and finishes 1/2 sack back of Michael Strahan for the most in a single season. Christian Ponder (hip) and Toby Gerhart (knee) both left the game early with injuries.