Vikings Get Massive Boost With Starters Returning

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Christian Darrisaw, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Against the Cincinnati Bengals, on Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings look to climb back over .500 and bounce back from their first loss of the season, last week. In order to do so, they needed to get healthier, especially on the offensive line.

JJ McCarthy will be replaced by Carson Wentz, who will now start for his sixth team in six years, on Sunday. We got that news officially, on Friday. Unfortunately, we also learned that C Ryan Kelly won’t play either. He and backup LT Justin Skule failed to make it through concussion protocol quickly enough.

Christian Darrisaw, Harrison Smith both back for MN Vikings

But what about the other three MN Vikings starters who were listed on the final injury report this week as questionable? Well, after he sounded hesitant going into the weekend, left tackle Christian Darrisaw is now expected to play, according to multiple NFL insiders.

In less surprising news, being it was already reported earlier in the evening, Harrison Smith is back too. Neither Smith nor Darrisaw are expected to take on full workloads vs the Bengals, however.

This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings went on a mission to fix their offensive line, investing exponential amounts of time, energy and free agent cash to replace three of five starters from 2024. The hope was that the group could be a strength. So far that hasn’t been a reality, but they also haven’t had Christian Darrisaw.

The insertion of Darrisaw into the starting lineup is substantial. Not only has his backup Justin Skule been awful (49th of 65 tackles per Pro Football Focus), but he isn’t available, meaning the Vikings would’ve had to play their third option left tackle against one of the best pass rushers in the league, Trey Hendrickson.

Backup QB Carson Wentz will now have something for his Minnesota Vikings debut that J.J. McCarthy never got, during the first two starts of his NFL career — an All-Pro caliber left tackle to protect his blindside.

Andrew Van Ginkel back for Minnesota too

But wait, there’s more. Adam Schefter brought even more good news, shortly after the reports on Darrisaw and Smith dropped. Andrew Van Ginkel, who had missed Week 2 with a concussion of his own, is also expected to return to the Vikings defense.

In the season opener against Chicago, Van Ginkel recorded five tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. He nearly ripped off a pick-six, in classic Van Ginkel fashion, and wreaked havoc on the Bears, prior to suffering his head injury.

Dallas Turner was utilized more heavily in his absence last week, but the MN Vikings defensive front just got significantly better and deeper, with the reintroduction of Van Ginkel, who can now assume his normal starting role Sunday, opposite Jonathan Greenard.

Unlike Rapoport, Schefter reports that Darrisaw will be FULL go, with no limited snap count. Same with Van Ginkel. According to NFL’s NO. 1 insider, Harrison Smith is the only returning Vikings player expected to be on some sort of limited snap count.

Darrisaw gives MN Vikings line renewed hope

The Minnesota Vikings spent a substantial amount of money on their offensive line this offseason. For the most part it has flopped in the early going, and that made things tough on McCarthy through their first two games.

Darrisaw’s absence was chief among the Vikings’ problems. Not having Ryan Kelly in the middle, to complete now-look starting offensive line, will hurt. But few would argue that his absence will hurt as much as Darrisaw’s did for the first two weeks.

The Vikings go from playing one of the worst tackles in football in weeks one and two, to inserting one of the best blockers in football.Even if he isn’t feeling 100%, a rusty Christian Darrisaw is exponentially better than what Walter Rouse or Blake Brandel would have represented.

That will definitely materialize with a positive impact in both the run and pass game. It will be on Wentz, and new unquestioned starter Jordan Mason, to utilize his presence.

Minnesota kicks off against the Bengals at 12 pm on Sunday. They are looking to improve to 2-1 on the season and head into their overseas swing on a positive note.

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