The Minnesota Vikings are one of the best teams in the NFL and proved it on Monday night in their comeback win against the Chicago Bears. Many believe head coach Kevin O'Connell is one of the top coaches in the NFL, as he has been nothing short of elite since taking the job in Minnesota. O'Connell is now 36-19 as a head coach and is 1-0 on the season this year, preparing for a 2-0 start against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
The Vikings are dealing with a ton of injuries; however, it did not look like it on Monday night when it mattered most. The Vikings stormed back by scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter after scoring only six points in the first three. Players stepped up when needed and got the job done.
O'Connell has updated everyone on the injuries, and some are not good news.
“LB Blake Cashman (hamstring) and RB Ty Chandler (knee) will miss a few weeks, per Kevin O'Connell. LB Andrew Van Ginkel and CB Jeff Okudah are in the concussion protocol. S Harrison Smith/LT Christian Darrisaw progressing.”
Losing four key players is not what the Vikings had imagined, but the good news is that they got the win. The Vikings will be thin at the linebacker position after losing both Cashman and Van Ginkel. The hope is that Van Ginkel is ready to go by Sunday night. Cashman finished with three tackles on Monday, and Van Ginkel ended with five, with one tackle for loss. Van Ginkel has been one of the most steady linebackers in the league since his rookie season.
Ty Chandler was the kick returner on Monday before his knee injury. He is set to miss a few weeks with Cashman. Chandler averaged 33 yards per return on Monday.
Jeff Okudah had two tackles in the win and will hopefully be out of concussion protocol ahead of the match against the Falcons.
Harrison Smith and Christian Darrisaw are two of the best players on the team. Getting those two back healthy is massive for the franchise. Smith has been one of the top safeties in the NFL for a long time, while Darrisaw has proven to be one of the top young tackles in the game when healthy.
