Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) and offensive line snaps the ball against the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Right before kickoff in Tennessee on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings announced a somewhat unforeseen offensive line change.
Guard Dalton Risner would start against the Titans, while 2022 2nd-Round pick Ed Ingram, a starter for 2.5 years, would hit the bench.
Generally speaking, benching Ingram for Risner was not a surprise, but the sudden, just-before-kickoff nature of the declaration caught some folks off guard. Unless it was a one-hit wonder — it probably wasn’t — Ingram’s time as a starter with the Vikings seems kaput.
The Vikings ultimately won the contest over the Titans 23-13, using mostly suffocating defense to snuff out Will Levis and friends. Quarterback Sam Darnold also rebounded from a dreadful Week 10 performance at the Jacksonville Jaguars by delivering 3 touchdowns to just one turnover — which arguably could’ve been credited to running back Aaron Jones.
And what about Risner? Well, the new experiment can be deemed a mixed bag. His 50.0 Pro Football Focus score was not advantageous. But he allowed no sacks, and for the most part, Darnold played efficiently enough for Minnesota’s offense to move the ball against a mediocre Titans defense.
The Vikings’ ground game was also inefficient, though head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t abandon the strategy. Minnesota rushed the rock 33 times for a grimy 82 yards. The number should be near 120+ yards on a regular Sunday, but Tennessee stopped Aaron Jones and Cam Akers.
In fact, the whole offensive line — not just Risner — struggled via run blocking, which made Darnold’s bounceback performance all the more critical.
Here’s the Vikings offensive line henceforth, assuming the coaching staff doesn’t veer back to Ingram:
(LT) Cam Robinson
(LG) Blake Brandel
(C) Garrett Bradbury
(RG) Dalton Risner
(RT) Brian O’Neill
O’Connell said about the win over the Titans, “We’ve won eight of them. We’ve got the right mindset. But I do believe, you know, hopefully our best football is head of us, because we’re working towards that while also winning games. Proud of that, proud of our group, proud of our staff — but it’s time to go back to work.”
Going back to work will involve the Chicago Bears this weekend, a team that showcases the NFL’s seventh-best defense per EPA/Play. Offensive line performance will not encounter an easier test at Solider Field on Sunday. It’ll be the opposite.
But at least Minnesota had Risner at its beck and call for the switch. That depth hasn’t always been available for the Vikings over the last decade.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.