The Minnesota Vikings got some good news on the injury front ahead of their Sunday showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Injured center Garrett Bradbury was a full participant in practice Friday, and will be the starter for Sunday’s game. Getting Bradbury back should provide the Vikings with a much-needed boost on the offensive line, and may even help settle the offense down as a whole.
Backup Austin Schlottmann has played well in Bradbury’s absence, taking over for the injured center only a few snaps into the first game of the year. Schlottmann has ranked as the 12th-best center in the league according to PFF. However, getting Bradbury back into the fold is likely to increase the productivity of an offensive line that has been much maligned in the media this season, but has statistically played pretty well overall.
Heading into Week 5, Schlottmann and the Viking offense are the fourth-ranked unit in terms of pass blocking grade, according to PFF. They also sit as the second-best run blocking unit in the league, behind only the Philadelphia Eagles. It may not always be pretty, but the Vikings offensive line has been exceeding expectations this season — at least from a grading perspective.
With Bradbury returning to man the middle of the Vikings offensive line, we’re likely to see increased production from a running game that finally found its legs in the Week 4 win against the Carolina Panthers. With Alexander Mattison and the energy that Cam Akers has brought with him from Los Angeles, combined with the return of Bradbury, this rushing attack may finally be the complement to the vaunted passing attack the preseason led us to believe it might be.
Who knows, his return may even help Kirk Cousins cut down on the untimely turnovers, something this team desperately needs if they’re going to recover from their 1-3 start.