It appears that reinforcements are on the way for the Vikings.

After missing the past couple of games with a hamstring injury, veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore told the Pioneer Press that he expects to play against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field.

Asked if he feels like he’s back to 100 percent, Gilmore replied, “Yeah.”

He spoke briefly after finishing up the walkthrough on Wednesday evening at TCO Performance Center. It marked the first time that Gilmore has been a full participant since suffering the hamstring injury against the Arizona Cardinals a few weeks ago.

“It felt good to get back out there and move around,” Gilmore said. “We were just trying to be smart about it.”

As he reflected on the past couple of weeks, Gilmore credited his teammates for holding it down in his absence, as well as the training staff for everything they did to help him navigate the recovery process.

Though a final determination more than likely won’t be made until this weekend, Gilmore sure sounds like somebody who is preparing to make his return.

How has he been dealing with not playing?

“It sucks watching,” Gilmore said with a smile. “We had to make sure we took the right steps.”

O’Connell now betting favorite

With the Vikings boasting a 12-2 record, head coach Kevin O’Connell is now the betting favorite to win NFL Coach of the Year.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, O’Connell (-190) is pacing a field that also features Detroit’s Dan Campbell (+500), Denver’s Sean Payton (+600), Washington’s Dan Quinn (+1000), and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin (+1500).

There are 50 voters that will make the final decision.

Asked to make a pitch for his boss, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips skillfully tried to avoid the question. He mentioned how there are a lot of people deserving of the honor before finally relenting, “He’d have my vote.”

Metellus gets game ball

After the Vikings beat the Chicago Bears on Monday night, O’Connell handed out a number of game balls like he typically does after each win. After rewatching the game less than 24 hours later, O’Connell awarded a game ball to safety Josh Metellus.

“A guy that jumped off the tape,” O’Connell said. “Just huge for our captain to be flying around. He lined up in a thousand different spots. He impacted the game inside, outside, all of those things.”

That fact that O’Connell highlighted Metellus was well deserved. He has filled a multitude of roles for defensive coordinator Brian Flores this season, most recently filling the void with linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. on injured reserve.

As for Pace, he’s eligible to return from injured reserve next week, meaning the Vikings could have him for the game against the Green Bay Packers.

“He’s doing well,” O’Connell said. “He’s right on schedule.”

Briefly

On the injury report, cornerback Fabian Moreau (hip) and defensive tackle Jalen Redmond (concussion) were listed as non-participants, while edge rusher Pat Jones II (knee), right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee), defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (knee), left tackle David Quessenberry (oblique), safety Harrison Smith (foot), and edge rusher Dallas Turner (knee) were listed as limited participants.

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