Cordarrelle Patterson keeps a picture of his daughter in his locker. His best friend on the team, fellow Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, game-planned the birth of his first child to occur during the team's bye week.
Has he named his son yet?
"Yup,'' Thielen said with a mostly straight face. "Cordarrelle Patterson Thielen.''
Is Patterson offering parenting tips?
"I told him a couple of days ago,'' Patterson said, "just tell your son yes to everything he asks for.''
That would ensure the kid grows up to be a receiver, the position where good things come to those who beg.
The Vikings' teamwide attrition would be comical if it didn't involve real humans in real pain. They keep losing players and winning games as if one isn't related to the other, as if coaches can use some kind of magic app to bring X's and O's to life.
Sunday afternoon, star receiver Stefon Diggs didn't play because of a groin injury. Thielen replaced Diggs in the starting lineup, then set career bests with seven catches for 127 yards.