It’s been a rough start to the season for the Minnesota Vikings. While the season has seen some incredible highs, the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and a Week 3 decimation of the Cincinnati Bengals come to mind, the team has been ravaged by injuries.
From running back Aaron Jones to quarterback J.J. McCarthy, virtually no position has been left untouched. However, against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an international game in Week 4, the situation got particularly rough with the offensive line.
Minnesota Vikings’ Offensive Line Woes Amplify
Already coming into the game with Tackle Walter Rouse and Guard Donovan Jackson declared inactive, the situation got worse as their matchup progressed. NFL insider Adam Schefter broke the news in the third quarter, as the Vikings were getting dominated 21-6.
Beyond Rouse and Jackson, the team was going to be operating without two more members of the offensive line for the rest of the game. Those were tackle Brian O’Neill and center Ryan Kelly.
Vikings now have ruled out OT Brian O’Neill with a knee injury and C Ryan Kelly with a concussion.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 28, 2025
As Schefter announced on X, “Vikings now have ruled out OT Brian O’Neill with a knee injury and C Ryan Kelly with a concussion.” The losses on their offensive line have already been felt by their quarterbacks.
Through three games, McCarthy and Carson Wentz have been sacked a total of 12 times. That Number would rank as the third-highest mark in the league behind only Cam Ward and Kyler Murray, the latter of whom has already suited up for four games.
That pace would set them up for 68 sacks on the year, just eight shy of the all-time single-season record. Those kinds of hits aren’t sustainable for any quarterback. While he didn’t get hurt on a sack play, it is hard to imagine that McCarthy’s injury wasn’t made worse by the constant hits he took through his first two NFL starts.
As a unit, the offensive line ranks 20th on PFSN’s Team Offensive Line Impact, a number that might only get worse as the season progresses, depending on how severe the injuries to O’Neill and Kelly are.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Wentz has already been sacked six times. With how things are looking, it might be hard to find a scenario where the situation improves for the Vikings this week and in the near future.
