Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is likely regretting his first-quarter decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 on Sunday at Lambeau Field — or at least his play call.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins dropped back with the ball on the Green Bay 37 and rifled it toward tight end T.J. Hockenson. The pass was tipped by cornerback Rasul Douglas and picked off by safety Darnell Savage. Savage raced 75 yards for a touchdown to give the Packers a 14-3 lead and a preview of what was to come in a 24-point loss.
Amazingly, it wasn’t the worst result of the play. Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill suffered what coach Kevin O’Connell called a “significant” injury to his calf as he pursued Savage. On Tuesday, O’Neill was placed on injured reserve. His season is likely finished and his absence could play a large role in ending the Vikings’ season early in the playoffs.
Minnesota is 12-4 entering its regular-season finale Sunday in Chicago and already has the NFC North clinched. An embarrassing 41-17 loss to the Packers on Sunday means the Vikings are likely to have the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff field and face the New York Giants on wild card weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium.
What the Vikings won’t have for that game is one of the NFL’s best right tackles. O’Neill was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 after signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract just before the regular season. His contract makes him the second-highest paid right tackle in the league to New Orleans’ Ryan Ramczyk. Ramczyk averages $19.2 million per season; O’Neill is at $18.5 million.
O’Connell plans to replace O’Neill with backup tackle Oli Udoh, who struggled playing out of position at right guard last season. A second-round pick in 2018 by the Vikings, O’Neill is a team captain and has become the leader of an offensive line that finally had some stability this season. Pro Football Focus has him graded as the NFL’s fourth-best right tackle.
But wait, it gets worse.
The Vikings also have potential issues at center after placing Austin Schlottmann on injured reserve Tuesday. He suffered a left fibula fracture in the first quarter shortly before O’Neill was lost. Schlottmann was playing because Garrett Bradbury has missed the past four games due to a lower back injury. O’Connell would only say that “the hope is that we’ll have him back,” but he declined to put a timetable on Bradbury’s return.
This could put veteran guard Chris Reed, who had never played a regular-season game at center until Sunday, in a starting role, but the Vikings also have signed eight-year veteran Greg Mancz to the active roster. Mancz has played in 64 games during his career, including one with Buffalo this season.
The Vikings potential starting offensive line in the playoffs could be Reed or Mancz at center, often-struggling rookie Ed Ingram at right guard and Udoh at right tackle. If that’s the case, good luck to Cousins, who likely will be facing the New York Giants and blitz-happy defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale in the first round.
If this sounds familiar it should. It was in the penultimate regular-season game of the 2017 season in Green Bay, when the Vikings lost left guard Nick Easton because of a fractured right ankle. The offensive line was shuffled with Mike Remmers moving from right tackle to left guard and backup Rashod Hill taking over at right tackle. Remmers, like Reed in this situation, was playing out of position and it showed.
That Vikings team, the last to win the NFC North before this one, finished 13-3 and beat the Saints on the Minneapolis Miracle play before getting destroyed 38-7 in the NFC title game in Philadelphia.
Easton’s loss was a blow, but he wasn’t nearly as important as O’Neill is to this unit. This has been mostly a magical season for the Vikings and their first-year coach, but you have to wonder how long it will continue with O’Neill watching from the sideline.
