Vikings Stars’ Statuses in Question for Monday Night’s Season Opener
The Minnesota Vikings released their third and final injury report on Saturday ahead of their Week 1 season opener against the Chicago Bears.
The game serves as a crucial start to the season for Minnesota as they are taking the Monday Night Football stage on the road against their division rivals. It also marks a new era of Vikings football with J.J. McCarthy making his first career start at quarterback.
However, the statuses of multiple Vikings stars are in question ahead of the season opener, per the final injury report.
Vikings Release Final Injury Report Ahead of Week 1
Here are the names listed on Minnesota’s Saturday injury report:
- RB Zavier Scott (Out)
- DT Elijah Williams (Out)
- S Harrison Smith (Doubtful)
- LT Christian Darrisaw (Questionable)
As noted, the Vikings are certain to be without a couple depth players with Scott still dealing with an ankle injury. The running back currently sits as the RB4 on Minnesota’s depth chart, so it remains to be seen exactly what his role will look like in the offense if he has any at all.
Meanwhile, Elijah Williams will have his NFL debut delayed by at least a week as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury. The undrafted free agent performed very well in training camp and preseason, earning a spot on the final 53-man roster as a result.
The most notable names, though, are the two whose statuses remain in question for Monday night.
Harrison Smith seems likely to miss Monday night’s game as well with what has been listed as an illness. He stepped away from the field on August 11. However, head coach Kevin O’Connell did say that he participated in Saturday’s practice on a limited basis.
If Smith were to miss the season opener, it would further test the depth of Minnesota’s secondary that saw a decent amount of turnover this offseason following the departures of Camryn Bynum, Shaq Griffin, and Stephon Gilmore.
Behind Smith on the safety depth chart are Theo Jackson and Jay Ward. Jackson was already presumed to be getting a lot of playing time given defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ tendency to put three safeties on the field. Ward, on the other hand, has seen very limited time in Minnesota’s defense over his first two NFL seasons, so it will be interesting to see what the young safety can do if he gets the call to play more snaps against the Bears.
Perhaps the most impactful piece of this injury report, though, is the questionable status of Christian Darrisaw. The left tackle is one of the best in the NFL and would be sorely missed on Minnesota’s offensive line against a talented Bears defensive front, particularly in McCarthy’s first ever start.
Luckily, O’Connell did say Darrisaw was a full participant in Saturday’s practice, so there is a glimmer of hope that the star tackle can still suit up. He has been recovering from a torn ACL and MCL that ended his 2024 season, and a return in Week 1 would be significantly ahead of schedule.
If Darrisaw is unable to suit up, it’s likely that Justin Skule would get the call to start and protect McCarthy’s blind side along with rookie left guard Donovan Jackson.
The Vikings can still wait until Monday to announce whether or not Darrisaw and Smith will play in the game. Kickoff between the Bears and Vikings is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Monday night at Soldier Field.
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