The Minnesota Vikings lost way more than the “Thursday Night Football” game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw, one of the best players at his position in the NFL, will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a “significant” injury to his left knee, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Friday. According to ESPN, the injury is a torn ACL and MCL.
“I was hoping last night that the imaging might reveal a less significant injury, but unfortunately that is not the case,” O’Connell said. “We will determine what the best course of action is in terms of the procedure that will repair the injury. I know CD will be back where he was this year, which is one of the best left tackles in football.”
The injury occurred in the third quarter of a 30-20 loss to the Vikings, when Rams safety Jaylen McCollough fell on his lower leg while taking down Vikings running back Aaron Jones from behind. Darrisaw’s leg bent awkwardly and he had to be helped off the field by trainers.
Christian Darrisaw #vikings
When the knee is hit from the outside while it is in a block, a valgus moment (inward movement) occurs at the knee. Probably related to an MCL injury. pic.twitter.com/QwvDr2w9ch
— Tom Christus, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) October 25, 2024
The loss of Darrisaw is cruel for the Vikings, who have now lost consecutive games after starting the season 5-0. Darrisaw’s play was one of the biggest reasons for that hot start.
The former major leaguer signed a four-year, $113 million contract extension last offseason, with $77 million guaranteed, and played like the best pass blocker the Vikings paid him to be. Pro Football Focus ranks his play ninth out of 76 tackles in the NFL this season, both helping Jones and quarterback Sam Darnold after resurgent seasons.
There may not have been a player more important to the Vikings offense aside from Justin Jefferson, and now Minnesota will have to find a way to replace him if they want to stay afloat in the highly competitive NFC North.
Veteran backup David Quessenberry replaced Darrisaw for the remainder of Thursday’s game, but O’Connell said the Vikings would discuss multiple options for a solution for the remainder of the season. According to ESPN, that could include acquiring left guard Blake Brandel, who has experience at left tackle, or sixth-round rookie Walter Rouse.
From ESPN:
“I thought [Quessenberry] sat down and did some things to help us,” O’Connell said, “but yeah, when you talk about that mentality of trying to get the best five guys in there, not just those five options, but what’s the rest from the depths?
I feel like this is where the depth of the O-line that we felt good about in training camp and then leading into the season gives you opportunities and we’ll continue to have that dialogue within our coaching staff and we’ll figure out What the best plan of attack is moving forward, and I think there are multiple options on the table and that’s what we need to figure out.”
The Vikings will have a long week to find Darrisaw’s replacement after playing Thursday, with their next game scheduled for Nov. 3 against the Indianapolis Colts on “Sunday Night Football.”
