Things have quickly gone from bad to worse for the Minnesota Vikings. Not only have the Vikings gone from one of only two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL to a two-loss team in the span of five days, but now they have to face the rest of the season without a key member of the team.
Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw was injured just before halftime of Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings were pinned deep in their own territory and simply looking to run out the clock on the first half. Running back Aaron Jones took a handoff from quarterback Sam Darnold and ran up the middle for a minimal gain.
Jones was tackled on the play by Rams’ safety Jaylen McCollough, and in the process of the tackle, McCollough rolled up on the back of Darrisaw’s leg. Darrisaw went down immediately and was down for several minutes before being helped by training staff to the locker room.
Now we know the extent of Darrisaw’s injury, and it’s the worst-case scenario. In his media availability today, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced that Darrisaw would be out for the remainder of the season, as his injury requires surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL.
With Darrisaw on the shelf for the remainder of the season, reserve swing tackle David Quessenberry will likely be called upon to fill his shoes and be the team’s starting left tackle for the rest of the season. Quessenberry replaced Darrisaw in Thursday night’s game and performed admirably, but this is a huge loss for a Vikings team that has seen their fortunes turn very quickly.
Minnesota now has 10 days to adjust and try to pick up the pieces before their Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.