Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper will miss the rest of the season and perhaps part of next season because of a severe injury to his right knee. Coach Mike Tice said Monday that Culpepper, who was hurt on the final play of the first quarter in Sunday's 38-13 loss at Carolina, will have surgery in the coming weeks once the swelling subsides. Recovery from such injuries can take up to a year. "He has a long rehab ahead," Tice said. The Vikings (2-5) will use veteran Brad Johnson as their starter, with Shaun Hill moving up to backup status. Culpepper, bothered with a sprained MCL and bursitis in his knee this season, was hit low and from the side by Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble while scrambling for a first down.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper could miss the rest of the season after injuring his right knee against Carolina on Sunday, coach Mike Tice said. "The quarterback doesn't appear to be in good shape," Tice said. "I'm not a doctor, but the initial tests are not good. It doesn't appear that it's going to be anything that we as Vikings will want to hear. "Things happen that are devastating. This certainly, if it's as serious as it appears, is devastating to our football team." Culpepper ran for an 18-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter when he was hit by multiple defenders. Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble came in from the side and tackled Culpepper's leg and he immediately grabbed his knee. Culpepper was helped off the field and taken to a cart for the ride into the locker room. The team initially said he sprained his knee. He was on crutches with a heavy brace around his knee after the game and said he wouldn't know anything until after undergoing an MRI on Monday. "I'm not talking about anything," Culpepper said. "We don't know the extent of the damage right now. I really can't talk about it until we do the MRIs and find out."

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper went 23-for-31 for 280 yards with two touchdowns with no interceptions to lead the Vikings to victory over the Green Bay Packers. Kicker Paul Edinger kicked a career-long 56-yard field goal as time ran out to propel the Vikings to victory. "I took off running after it, like I was going to catch it or something," Edinger said. "I can't even describe it. It's a great feeling. I wish you could experience it."

Minnesota coach Mike Tice said Friday he would consider reducing playing time as punishment for Vikings found to have acted inappropriately -- or criminally -- at an infamous boat party. Tice said he didn't expect any punishments to be announced before Sunday's game against Green Bay. Hennepin County sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Haans Vitek said Friday there was nothing new to report. ``It could be weeks. It could be months. It all depends,'' Vitek said. ``We have to interview a lot of people ... we're not putting any timeline on it.'' Earlier this week, Tice reiterated his disappointment -- but maintained the organization's stance of withholding specific comment until the case is closed.

A woman who contends Vikings running back Onterrio Smith sexually assaulted her last year has sued the player. The 21-year-old woman is not identified in the lawsuit filed last week, for fear of retaliation, said her attorney, Lori Peterson. The woman, who lives in the Twin Cities, says she was injured and humiliated and is seeking $150,000 in damages. The lawsuit claims she suffers from a lifelong illness and her physician describes her as an ``individual with disabilities.'' She has a form of mental impairment stemming from fetal alcohol syndrome.

Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said Friday he had met with players to express his anger and embarrassment over reports of sexual misconduct on a charter cruise last week, and vowed to do all he could to prevent further scandals. Wilf, in his first comments since the story broke, said the team will institute a code of conduct that demands "high standards, high morals and success." In his remarks to players, Wilf said, "I expressed my anger and I expressed my embarrassment, my embarrassment on behalf of my family and for the people who work hard here."

In the midst of a terrible 1-3 start, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has signed off on a plan to add longtime NFL coaches Jerry Rhome and Foge Fazio to the staff, and barring an unexpected delay, the team will formalize agreements with both men in time for practice Monday. Rhome will server as a de facto offensive coordinator for the remainder of the season, a role that likely will include play-calling and some responsibility for game planning while Fazio is set to serve as a part-time defensive consultant, observing each game from the coaches booth and then meeting with coaches and players for two or three days during the week.

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper received a cortisone shot in his right knee this week, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Coach Mike Tice told the newspaper that Culpepper should be ready to go for the Vikings' next game, Oct. 16 at Chicago. Culpepper revealed this week that he has been playing with a sprained medial collateral ligament and bursitis in his right knee.

Amidst a lackluster 1-3 start, the Minnesota Vikings are looking for answers and starting to point fingers. Many fans are beginning to speculate that head coach Mike Tice might take the fall if the Vikings cannot turn it around. However, on Tuesday, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Tice won't be fired during the season, no matter how much the team struggles. "I'm backing our coach 100 percent," Wilf told the newspaper. "I'm going to do whatever is necessary to give him whatever help he needs to improve our team. I don't know if he's always gotten that. He's our coach for this season, as we have said many times before. So that's the situation, and my message is: 'Let's go try to win our division.'"

Daunte Culpepper has been playing with a sprained MCL and bursitis in his knee since the beginning of the season. "There's swelling, and it's painful, but I'm a warrior," Culpepper told the Star Tribune. "I'm going to push through this." Culpepper has been sacked 20 times in 4 games, an unusual stat as he is such a mobile quarterback.