Vikings’ patchwork offensive line could be a problem against Lions

It’s been a frustrating season in the injury department for the Minnesota Vikings.

The team has had several key players miss major time amid a 3-4 start that has Minnesota currently fourth in the NFC North. Multiple position groups have been impacted including linebacker and defensive back, but none more than the Vikings’ offensive line.

Minnesota entered the season with the following group set to start up front:

But that lineup hasn’t taken the field all together for a single snap this season. Darrisaw missed the first two games of the season recovering from a torn ACL/MCL suffered last season, and has missed large swaths of games since. He exited Thursday night’s loss to the Chargers after just nine snaps.

Vikings' injuries open opportunity for huge game from Lions' defensive line

Jackso, a rookie first-round pick, suffered a wrist injury in Week 2 and had surgery that caused him to miss three games. Kelly was placed on injured reserve after his second concussion of the season in Week 4, and his backup center, Ryan Jurgens, also missed time with a hamstring injury which pressed Blake Brandel into action.

Fries has mostly been healthy after signing a five-year deal with Minnesota following a broken leg suffered with the Colts in 2024. O’Neill has a sprained MCL and missed last Thursday’s game. His status for this week is in doubt.

All the injuries along Minnesota’s offensive line have made it into quite the revolving door. So much so that they’ve played more different combinations up front than any other team:

Predictably, Minnesota’s patchwork offensive line has not held up well. The Vikings have been sacked on 10.77% of their dropbacks this season, the highest rate in the NFL. Minnesota’s 657 rushing yards are the third-fewest in the league. 

If O’Neill can’t go on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, it makes a tough matchup that much tougher.

The Lions have punished offensive lines this season. They have the fifth-highest sack total and rate in the NFL at 23 and 8.33% respectively. Detroit has also surrendered the fourth-lowest rushing yards per game at 87.7. 

Star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson leads the NFL in pressures with 22 and is tied for the seventh-most sacks with six. He’s paired well with breakout veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad, who has 12 pressures and five sacks on the season himself.

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“[Al-Quadin Muhammad] has definitely added this layer of um of pass rush that probably not many people thought  was going to be the case this year,” Hutchinson said this week. 

“We rush pretty different, so I think it works in that way that it is complimentary, he's even rushing inside a little bit and still cooking inside, too. So, it's impressive.”

Not to mention Detroit recently returned defensive lineman Alim McNeill from an ACL tear, who made his presence felt against Tampa Bay in his first game back. The Lions have had a disruptive pass rush group that only stands to become more fearsome as the year goes on.

That’s not an ideal matchup for a Minnesota team that has been unable to keep a consistent offensive line combination up front and develop chemistry as a unit. The Vikings could be severely outmatched in the trenches on Sunday. Not ideal when you’re returning your young quarterback from an injury that’s kept him out of the last five games. 

The Vikings’ offensive line problems have hampered the team all season, and that looks like it could continue this week.