While the Minnesota Vikings are coming off a Week 6 win against the Chicago Bears, they have plenty of holes to fix across their roster. Unfortunately for the Vikings, one of their best defensive playmakers is not expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Minnesota has placed Marcus Davenport on injured reserve, via Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. The outside linebacker suffered a high-ankle sprain in the win over the Bears. Now on IR, Davenport will be forced to miss the next four games.
His placement on IR seems like more of a formality due to the nature of Davenport's injury. With his high-ankle sprain, the OLB was initially considered to be on a 4-6 timeline. Minnesota will now stash him on IR and hope Davenport can return to the field when first eligible.
Making his debut with the Vikings, Davenport has appeared in four games this season – starting three. He has racked up seven tackles, four quarterback hits and two sacks. While he hasn't made a major impact just yet, Minnesota will greatly miss Davenport's pass-rushing prowess.
Minnesota ranks 15th in total defense, allowing 331.2 yards per game. Under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings defense looks improved. However, they still need to get over the hump if they want to get back into playoff contention.
Losing Marcus Davenport will take a big chunk out of Minnesota's defense. The Vikings will look to rally around him and re-tool as they look to stack wins together and get back in the postseason hunt.