Zulgad: Here we go again: Vikings' once-promising season dealt significant blow with Christian Darrisaw injury
For the second consecutive season, the Vikings have lost one of their most important players on offense and, again, there's no good way to replace him.
(Image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)
The Minnesota Vikings were on the verge of overcoming a 1-4 start to get to the .500 mark last Oct. 29 when the turnaround was derailed by one fourth quarter misstep. Quarterback Kirk Cousins dropped back to pass, moved a couple of steps forward and then crumpled to the Lambeau Field turf.
Cousins had a torn right Achilles’ and the Vikings had a big problem.
The Vikings beat the Packers, and added two more wins to reach 6-4, before losing six of their last seven as their game of musical quarterbacks proved unsuccessful.
Just shy of a year later, the Vikings again find themselves dealing with a season-ending injury to one of their most important offensive players.
This time it’s standout left tackle Christian Darrisaw whose season has come to a premature end.
Darrisaw, the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2021 draft, suffered a torn ACL and MCL just before halftime of the Vikings’ 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. The 25-year-old has never played a full season, but the most games he missed was five in his rookie year.
There’s a case to be made that Darrisaw is the third-most important player on the Vikings’ offense behind wide receiver Justin Jefferson and quarterback Sam Darnold. Darrisaw would qualify as the offense’s second-most talented player and, much like when a quarterback goes down, there’s no real solution to replacing him.
Jefferson might be the best wide receiver in the NFL, but the Vikings went 5-2 in the seven games he missed in 2023 because of a hamstring injury. That was because first-round pick Jordan Addison had 35 receptions for 437 yards and four touchdowns in his absence.
There is no Addison-type behind a standout left tackle.
David Quessenberry struggled after replacing Darrisaw in the second half on Thursday. The 34-year-old has played for four teams over seven NFL seasons, including the past two with the Vikings, and started 30 of the 74 games in which he has appeared.
The Vikings’ offensive tackles, Brian O’Neill and Darrisaw, are the strength of the line and Darrisaw’s play in his first three seasons earned him a four-year contract extension in July that reportedly is worth a maximum of $113 million with $77 million in guarantees and $43.7 million guaranteed at signing.
While this is the second consecutive season the Vikings have lost one of their most important offensive players in October, this situation is very different. The 2023 team was trying to rally from a terrible start, these Vikings were 5-0 before losing to Detroit and the Rams within a span of five days.
A week ago, there was talk about the Vikings adding a defensive tackle or cornerback before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. The Vikings were preparing to play host to the Lions in a battle for first place in the NFC North and a franchise that seemed poised to take a step to being a legitimate contender in 2025, appeared to be a year ahead of schedule.
The Vikings’ victories over San Francisco, Houston and Green Bay in Weeks 2-4 couldn’t be dismissed and, when Minnesota plays host to the Colts on Nov. 3, tight end T.J. Hockenson is expected to return from the torn ACL and MCL he suffered late last season.
Coach Kevin O’Connell talked Friday about being prepared for adversity but what he didn’t discuss was the different types of injury adversity teams face. If Darrisaw was going to be out for a month, that’s adversity that can be overcome. The rest of the season is another story.
O’Connell said the Vikings were discussing what they would do at left tackle, meaning it’s not a slam dunk Quessenberry steps into the starting role. Veteran left guard Dalton Risner is eligible to be activated after being out since training camp because of injury, and the Vikings could consider moving left guard Blake Brandel to left tackle. Walter Rouse, a sixth-round pick last spring, is a tackle and there’s always a chance the Vikings could look outside the organization.
Former Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari is a free agent and has expressed a desire to resume his career. Bakhtiari made three Pro Bowls and was twice a first-team All-Pro but an ACL tear in December 2020 derailed his career.
That’s the issue with Darrisaw’s injury: There’s no good replacement. The best the Vikings can hope for is adequate and that isn’t exactly ideal considering quarterback San Darnold’s tendency to hold onto the football.
There’s no trade the Vikings are going to make that’s going to solve the issue and any temptation to make a significant deal before the trade deadline to provide immediate help for the defense also might be shelved.
A damper has been put on what appeared to be a promising season and no matter how much O’Connell talks about overcoming adversity, the loss of Darrisaw might be too much for his team to overcome.