Vikings Final Injury Report for London Is Nothing Short of Obscene
Finishing up their back-to-back international trip on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will meet the Cleveland Browns in London — and do so unbelievably shorthanded.
The Minnesota Vikings will be severely shorthanded in London against the Cleveland Browns, and it’s quite ridiculous so soon into the season.
Kevin O’Connell’s team can’t catch a break, down seven starters altogether, or 32 of the starting lineups on offense and defense.
Injury Report for Vikings in London Is Gruesome
Minnesota must find a way to win against all odds.
Injuries on Offense
Out:
— Quarterback J.J. McCarthy
— Center Ryan Kelly
— Right Tackle Brian O’Neill
— Left Guard Donovan Jackson
— Center Michael Jurgens
Regarding an offensive line injury report, this is about as gruesome as it gets. Minnesota will be down three starting linemen, with a reserve player, Jurgens, on the shelf, too.
Blake Brandel, a tackle turned guard turned center, will apparently start in Kelly’s spot. Justin Skule will hold down the right tackle spot. An undrafted rookie free agent will make his first NFL start after playing just 12 snaps so far this season.
McCarthy won’t be under center in London. It’s Carson Wentz for at least one more week.
Our Ted Schwerzler on the Week 5 injuries: “We’ll see three backups on the starting line Sunday. (LG) Donovan Jackson underwent surgery last week, to fix a surprise wrist injury. Then on Sunday against the Steelers, (C) Ryan Kelly suffered his second concussion in as many games and Brian O’Neill sprained his MCL. But gets worse.”
“Kelly’s backup at center, Michael Jurgens, is also out with a hamstring injury. That means Blake Brandel will start at center Sunday for the first time in his career. The depth behind the starting group is virtually non-existent. We could also see recently signed tackle Matt Waletzko elevated from the practice squad.”
Minnesota remains a 3.5-point favorite to take down Cleveland despite the plethora of injuries.
“Vershon Lee and Henry Byrd are also options there. If activated, Byrd would be the only natural center Minnesota has on roster vs Cleveland. Center will be the third position Blake Brandel has played on the Minnesota Vikings o-line, in the past three weeks. If O’Neill’s injury winds up lasting longer than Donovan Jackson’s return, we could see Brandel get reps at right tackle before the season is over,” Schwerzler continued.
“Carson Wentz will start behind a MN Vikings offensive line that goes Christian Darrisaw, Joe Huber, Blake Brandel, Will Fries, and Justin Skule, from left to right. That’s nothing like the five-man combination we expected to start 2025.”
Defensive Injuries
Out:
— Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel
Van Ginkel has undergone a strange season. He healed just in time late in the summer to be ready for Week 1. He then suffered a concussion in the win over the Chicago Bears. That sidelined him for Week 2. Upon returning in Week 3, Van Ginkel saw action on just eight plays — and recorded 2 sacks. During the contest, he evidently hurt his neck.
He’ll miss his second consecutive game, and because neck injuries are never nothingburgers, some folks are wondering if Van Ginkel will be back at all this season.
Without Van Ginkel, Minnesota will lean on Dallas Turner, who isn’t the worst substitute in the world.
The Maybes
Questionable:
— Fullback C.J. Ham
— Outsider Linebacker Tyler Batty
Ham and Batty fully practiced this week, a hint that both will be ready on Sunday. Their statuses should come to light Saturday, and Minnesota will have to release two players from the bottom of the roster.
Ham will be immediately vital to pass protection, whereas Batty has a path to playing time with Van Ginkel on the shelf.
Existing IR Body Count
Finally, these are the players on injured reserve or the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list:
- Aaron Jones (RB)
- Blake Cashman (LB)
- Gavin Bartholomew (TE)
- Matt Nelson (OT)
- Rondale Moore (WR)
- Ty Chandler (RB)
- Zeke Correll (C)
Jones and Cashman headline the group. Cashman will be eligible to return after the bye week — so about two weeks from now — and Jones will be sidelined until at least Week 8.
The Vikings must use the bye week to hopefully heal a chunk of the missing staters. Otherwise, the season will turn quite spooky.
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