There was plenty of skepticism when Kevin O’Connell declared Blake Brandel the starting left guard even after bringing back Dalton Risner — who has battled the injury bug. But through two games, Brandel has really played well and handled his own on the line.
According to The 33rd Team, Brandel is one of 10 linemen who haven’t allowed pressure. Brandel has played in 58 pass snaps through two games and has yet to allow a defender to get to Sam Darnold.
While that stat is great, Pro Football Focus isn’t exactly high on Brandel’s performance so far. According to PFF, Brandel has a 55.4 pass-blocking grade but is ahead of Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram on the offensive line. Ingram has an astonishingly bad 25.4 pass-blocking grade.
There is a lot of football still to be played, but if Brandel can continue his performance, Viking fans won’t question O’Connell’s decision to start the unproven guard.