New Name Added to “Official” Vikings Injury Report, but Don’t Tell KOC

The (3-4) Minnesota Vikings released their final injury report of week 9 on Friday, following what head coach Kevin O’Connell calls a “Fast Friday” practice. All three of the players who have sat out all week are now officially ruled out.

That includes FB CJ Ham, CB Jeff Okudah and TE Josh Oliver. As expected, we didn’t see JJ McCarthy, Jonathan Greenard or Isaiah Rodgers listed on the Vikings final injury report, entering their massive NFC North tilt against the (5-2) Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon, meaning all three players are expected to start.

Minnesota Vikings list four players as “questionable” vs Lions

Unfortunately, Brian O’Neill, Christian Darrisaw and Andrew Van Ginkel could not get fully cleared by the medical staff after Friday’s practice. All three were previously listed as “full” or “limited” throughout the week and will go into the weekend “Questionable”, according to the Minnesota Vikings injury report.

And if that wasn’t enough, safety Josh Metellus is dealing with what KOC described as “foot soreness” all of a sudden. He too was added to Friday’s report, in surprise fashion. But before fans start to hyperventilate, make sure to read beyond the below injury table, because that’s not the only context our head coach provided.

While the MN Vikings’ final injury report may have an uncomfortable number of question marks, the head coach seemed a lot more optimistic about the likelihood that all of these “Questionable” Vikings players will be available vs the Motor City Kitties on Sunday afternoon.

Kevin O’Connell expects “questionable” Vikings to play

In fact, KOC told reporters Friday during his regularly-scheduled press conference that he expects all four of them to play. Metellus’ soreness didn’t seem to concern the head coach, who went on to buck the official status of O’Neill, Darrisaw and Van Ginkel, telling media he expects them all to go.

Friday afternoon, an EXTREMELY peppy Kevin O'Connell listed off FOUR Vikings starters as "Questionable" to play Sunday in Detroit.

Then one-by-one, he told reporters that all four will play… pic.twitter.com/sjvl3WE72b

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 31, 2025

KOC: “We’ll have four players questionable, Andrew Van Ginkel, Brian O’Neill, Josh Metellus… and Christian Darrisaw.. All those guys were either limited or full [at practice] today, based upon a ‘Fast Friday’ workload.”

Reporter: “Was Van Ginkel full?”

KOC: “By my eyes he was, and by the sheet, he was as well. Yeah, he’s had a really good week. I anticipate him playing.”

Reporter: “You’ve been hopeful about Darrisaw and O’Neill during the week, do you still feel that way?”

KOC: “Yeah, yeah. I think CD, with his plan to return, it’s always been about kind of managing the week based on how he’s feeling and getting him as ready to go as we possibly can for Sunday. I know he felt really good today. Obviously, we’ll see how he he shows up tomorrow but we feel really good about those guys right now.”

Kevin O’Connell – Friday press conference (original video via the Minnesota Vikings – Cut by MN Sports Fan)

Related: Brave NFL Expert Picks Vikings Over Lions…

In all honesty, the NFL injury reports bother me and the league needs to figure out how to make them more accurate because, as they are currently regulated, these reports are a complete joke, as outlined by Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell today.

But in the larger picture, pertaining to the chances our favorite football team has as -9.5 point underdogs on the road vs a division rival, KOC’s presser today was extremely good news for the purple. Looks like they will be mostly at full-strength this weekend, and they’ll need it to stand any chance.