by By Sean Jensen sjensen@pioneerpress.com , St. Paul Pioneer Press

Asked if Winfield has a fracture, Childress said Sunday, "I'm not going there."

He also declined to provide a timetable.

"I can't tell you much. He's just on the mend," Childress said. "Really, it's a week-to-week deal. He made a lot of progress last week, and we'll see how he progresses this week. I thought those guys who played in his stead did a nice job."

Childress also wouldn't rule Winfield out for next Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

"I learned a while ago not to rule him out, because there's a couple of times my first year that I didn't think he was going to play," Childress said, "and he forced his way in there."

Winfield declined comment after Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Winfield, though, isn't expected to play until after the Vikings' bye, which will be the weekend of Nov. 8. The goal is for Winfield to play Nov. 22 against the Seattle Seahawks at the Metrodome.

While the news is disappointing, the Vikings were encouraged by the play of his replacements Sunday.

Veteran Karl Paymah struggled a week ago against the Baltimore Ravens, but he rebounded with a solid performance against the Steelers. Both he and nickel cornerback Benny Sapp started the game, because the Steelers opened with a three-receiver set.

Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier rotated different cornerbacks in and out of the lineup, also giving rookie Asher Allen his first chance to play this season.

All three made key plays in limiting Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who entered the game with a league-high 1,887 passing yards, to a season-low 175 passing yards.

"We all have talent back there," Vikings cornerback Cedric Griffin said. "We did a good job out there today."

Asked about Winfield possibly being out for several weeks, Paymah said, "Guys just have to step up. Guys go out left and right; that's how superstars are born."

"We're going to have to step up big-time. Obviously, those are big shoes to fill," Allen said of Winfield. "But we feel we have the players to do it."

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