All Eyes Turn to One Vikings Injury
To make matters worse than losing a Week 10 contest at home to the 3-5 Baltimore Ravens, the Minnesota Vikings endured an injury to arguably their best defensive player, Jonathan Greenard.
All eyes are on one Vikings defender on Monday— a key starter whose status remains uncertain after Sunday’s game, leaving his prognosis up in the air.
The veteran outside linebacker left the game with a shoulder injury, leaving folks wondering about the extent of the injury. The eventual revelation could be damning or a sigh of relief sometime early this week.
Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard Injures Shoulder
It’s a temporary waiting game for Vikings fans.
Greenard Exits Week 10 with Shoulder Injury
Minnesota didn’t have too many injuries, on the whole, against Baltimore, but Greenard’s was enough to take the cake and ruin the afternoon.
Kare11‘s David Griswold wrote Sunday, “Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, leaving the Minnesota Vikings without one of their top pass rushers for the remainder of the game.”
“Greenard was attempting to run down Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson early in the third quarter when he dove and injured his left shoulder along the sideline. The Vikings later ruled him out for the remainder of the game.”
So, with the season hanging in the balance, onlookers will await Greenard’s prognosis.
The Straw That Stirs the Drink on Defense
If one polled the purple audience regarding the only player Minnesota cannot afford to lose on defense, the majority might vote for Greenard. He’s that instrumental on Sundays.
Heading into Week 10, Jonathan Greenard quietly sat near the top of nearly every major metric for EDGE defenders — 4th in tackles, 5th in stops, 10th in quarterback hurries, 13th in QB hits, and 15th in total pressures. In short, he’s been one of the most productive and well-rounded EDGE rushers in football, even if most fans outside Minnesota haven’t quite noticed yet.
Greenard had taken heat for not sacking the quarterback much in 2025, drawing internet jokes for “almost sacks.” However, the joke will be on everyone else if Greenard misses extended time.
Just When Everyone Got Mostly Healthy …
Meanwhile, Greenard’s injury occurred just as the Vikings have turned the corner on injuries, for the most part. The offensive line is only missing center Ryan Kelly. Linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman are back. J.J. McCarthy missed five games with a high ankle sprain but has returned. And running back Aaron Jones missed four games with a hamstring issue.
Those players have since returned, and entering November, some fans believed the team could make a run and fire off a patented Kevin O’Connell win streak.
They’ll have to wait on Greenard’s prognosis. The defense could be in rough shape without him. It all starts with Greenard upfront and the pressure he generates.
More Dallas Turner if the Worst Is Realized
The silver lining? If one is cynical — most Vikings fans are — and assumes that Greenard will miss multiple games or the entire rest of the season, well, the coaching staff and front office have a plan for this. His name is Dallas Turner.
Minnesota found Turner in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, trading gobs of mid-round assets to the Jacksonville Jaguars to get its man. Turner played a lot to start the season with Van Ginkel on the shelf due to a concussion, taking strides each week as a 22-year-old EDGE defender. In fact, with Greenard out versus the Ravens, Turner had quite the impact, in addition to a silly roughing-the-passer penalty that negated a sack on Lamar Jackson.
Turner would gain a full-time starting load if Greenard’s absence is prolonged. For better or worse.
SI.com on Greenard
Will Ragatz of SI.com noted on Greenard’s situation, “Greenard dove at Jackson’s feet, landed awkwardly, and appeared to be in significant pain after the play. He was down for a bit, being looked at by medical personnel, before being helped up and jogging to the blue medical tent. Greenard ultimately went back to the locker room and was ruled out later in the third quarter.”
“This is a major loss for the Vikings. In our recent midseason awards article, we named Greenard as Minnesota’s defensive player of the year for the first half. He has just two sacks, but he came into Sunday’s game with 33 pressures, nine quarterback hits, and ten tackles for loss. Greenard, who had 12 sacks last season, has been a consistent pass rusher and an excellent run defender for the Vikings from his OLB position.”
The Vikings should provide an update Monday regarding Greenard’s status.
Ragatz continued, “Second-year player Dallas Turner figures to take on close to an every-down role opposite Andrew Van Ginkel while Greenard is out. Turner had a sack of Jackson wiped off the board in the first half of the game due to the infamous “body weight” roughing the passer rule. This year, Greenard had an outstanding training camp and has continued to play at a high level in Brian Flores’ system.”
“He could have several more sacks than he does — quarterbacks have slipped out of his grasp on several occasions — but his importance to the Vikings is undeniable. This is a big injury loss, especially if Greenard has to miss additional time.”
Greenard will turn 29 in May.
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