2 Vikings Mysteriously Missing from Injury Update
The Minnesota Vikings, on an early bye, will enjoy two weeks off between regular season games, courtesy of two games across the Atlantic Ocean. In the meantime, the club announced that several injured players will return to practice, but the names of Andrew Van Ginkel and Brian O’Neill were not called.
Entering the bye week, the Vikings announced a handful of players who will return to practice, but two men didn’t make the cut, raising eyebrows.
Minnesota will be closer to full strength on October 19th when it takes on the Philadelphia Eagles, but news on Van Ginkel and O’Neill will be a waiting game.
No Injury Update on Andrew Van Ginkel or Brian O’Neill for Vikings
Patience will evidently be a virtue regarding both players.
Vikings’ Injury Update Contains Many, Not All
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media on Monday, as his club embarks on a refreshing bye week. And because there are so many injured players, O’Connell provided a lay of the land, with the next regular season game 13 days out.
Star Tribune‘s Emily Leiker tweeted, “Kevin O’Connell says QB J.J. McCarthy, LG Donovan Jackson, C Michael Jurgens and LB Blake Cashman are expected to practice next week heading into the Eagles game. Cashman will be returning from IR.”
While welcomed, the update didn’t mention much about Van Ginkel or O’Neill, two integral parts of the enterprise.
No Andrew Van Ginkel Prognosis
Van Ginkel suffered a concussion in his team’s first regular season game at the Chicago Bears. He battled back for Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he tallied 2 sacks in 8 plays, if that can be believed.
He also injured his neck that day and hasn’t played since in Dublin or London.
Some have wondered, too, if Van Ginkel’s injury will linger because of its location, his neck — those tend to linger — and that question appears to be playing out in real time.
The team, though, has not yet placed Van Ginkel on injured reserve, which would mandate four games out of the lineup from the time of the designation.
Mystery on Brian O’Neill, Too
O’Neill hasn’t been tossed on IR, either. However, he was missing from the return-to-practice roll call on Monday.
The longtime Viking sprained his MCL in Week 4 at Croke Park, and that injury carries varying recovery timelines depending on severity. Based on O’Connell’s no mention of O’Neill on Monday, O’Neill may live on the moderate MCL sprain spectrum, meaning his recovery could take a month.
Otherwise, like Van Ginkel, Minnesota would’ve placed him on IR and called it good.
The Good News
There is good news. Welcoming back Blake Cashman and Donovan Jackson will give the team a boost on Sundays — on both sides of the ball.
Some fans consider Cashman the heart and soul of the defense because Minnesota began losing games when after a five-game winning streak to start the 2024 campaign when he got hurt. Jackson, a rookie, was trending in the right direction through three games before a bad wrist put him on the shelf.
And, of course, McCarthy will practice during the bye. That’s his path back to the QB1 job for the Vikings. The man desperately needs playing time to continue his development, rain or shine. Watching from the sidelines only helps so much.
O’Connell on the Injuries
Before Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, O’Connell spun the injuries positiviely, “I’m very fortunate to have some players that kind of look at things through the similar lens as I do, where adversity or challenges or obstacles are really just opportunities for growth from a team standpoint, where what can that mean to you when you’re able to overcome some of those things and find a way to win a game?”
“I’m a big believer, if you’re looking for obstacles and excuses, you’re probably going to find them. So, why would we take the time and energy to look? Let’s just focus on what we need to focus on in the present. And I think things will work out for this team because of the type of players and coaches we have. And my confidence level in the group is as high as it’s ever been.”
That’s a pretty damn classic O’Connellian attitude, though his life will be easier when his team is closer to full strength.
Sportsbooks, through five games, believe Minnesota will finish 7-10 or 8-9 this season.
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