Coach Mike Zimmer is hopeful that the Vikings will have the services of starting cornerback Xavier Rhodes and wide receiver Charles Johnson in this weekend’s showdown against the undefeated Broncos.

Rhodes suffered a concussion during a scary collision with fellow defensive back Andrew Sendejo in the second quarter of yesterday’s win over the Chargers. His head snapped back and he lay face down on the turf for a couple of minutes before being helped to the locker room.

A day later, though, Zimmer was optimistic Rhodes would play Sunday.

“Actually, he’s feeling great today,” Zimmer said. “He’s already passed one test [in the NFL's concussion protocol]. I think he should be ready.”

Zimmer said he was certain Rhodes would be fine after taking that hard hit.

“I’m always concerned about my players any time they get hurt,” he said. “But Xavier’s pretty tough. He’s pretty tough. So I knew he’d be alright.”

Meanwhile, Zimmer doesn’t yet know if Johnson, who suffered a rib injury in the first quarter, will play in Denver. But Zimmer is assuming he will.

“We’ll see where it goes during the week,” Zimmer added.

Finally, I asked Zimmer about left guard Brandon Fusco, who suffered a concussion in the Week 2 win over the Lions. Fusco was able to play against the Chargers yesterday, but the NFLPA is reportedly looking into why Fusco continued to play with a concussion against the Lions.

“No, I was not aware of it and the spotter did not let us know. Hey, I have a hard enough time not getting run over on the sideline with all the things that are going on,” Zimmer said. “But I didn’t know about it.”