Mistral Raymond injury likely to keep Vikings safety out 3 weeks

Minnesota Vikings safety Mistral Raymond is expected to be out for roughly three weeks after doctors determined that his injured right ankle won't require surgery, as Tom Pelissero of 1500 ESPN writes. Raymond partially dislocated his ankle while tackling San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore in Sunday's 24-13 win.

As Pelissero notes, that timetable would have Raymond schedule to return by Oct. 25, when the team plays host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night. The Vikings will surely miss Raymond this week, though, as they try to stifle Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions' passing offense.

Raymond has been relatively quiet early in the season, recording five tackles and one defended pass over the first three games. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 draft, he put up 22 tackles, three defended passes, one fumble recovery and one interception in 10 games as a rookie last year.

Mistral Raymond injury won't require surgery

Still considered to be out indefinitely after injuring his ankle in Week 3, Minnesota Vikings safety Mistral Raymond was given a bit of good news on Monday afternoon and does not appear headed for surgery according to the Pioneer Press.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier expected the worst after seeing Raymond carted off the field in obvious pain against the 49ers, but was relieved after hearing his second-year defensive back's diagnosis come Monday morning. "No high ankle sprain, just good news all the way around," Frazier said. "It looked like something that would require surgery. That's not going to be the case."

While there is no official timetable for Raymond's return, the talented safety was seen on crutches immediately after the game and will give way to Jamarca Sanford for the foreseeable future. A former seventh-round pick in 2009, Sanford was edged by Raymond for the team's starting safety job in training camp, but played quite well on Sunday with seven tackles and one forced fumble against a tough 49ers offense.

NFL Injury Reports: Mistral Raymond, Jared Allen Ailing After Vikings' Upset Win

The Minnesota Vikings overcame expectations on Sunday afternoon when they upset the San Francisco 49ers, so, in all reality, everything else that stemmed from that game is going to take secondary status. That includes the injuries from this week's game, though it doesn't seem as though anything severe stemmed from the upset.

Sack artist extraordinaire Jared Allen suffered a neck injury and missed time in the second half, but the defensive end told 1500 ESPN that it was only neck spasms and he'll be fine for future games.

"My whole left side of my neck locked up on me," Allen said. "That's why I wasn't in that much in the second half. I was trying to play in between neck spams. But at the end, I told (defensive line coach Brendan Daly), 'I'm going to play until it breaks.' I was able to get in there. The problem was I couldn't see the ball really."

Allen said he, "he would be good to go," when asked if the neck might be an issue for him going forward.

The only other injury suffered on Sunday for the Vikings was Mistral Raymond and, although he didn't play in the second half, the extent of his injury won't be known until further examination on Monday.

For more on the 49ers, make sure to check out Niners Nation. For the Vikings side of things, head over to The Daily Norseman.