Editor’s note: there were multiple comments about Minnesota’s offensive line, so I’m combining several and consolidating a response below.
All I heard this offseason is how great our offensive line is. Despite a couple injuries, this is literally the worst offensive line I’ve ever seen. Leads the league in sacks allowed.
Our quarterbacks have no chance.
My suggestion is to set up the offense this way. Line up nine receivers wide and have no line. Snap the ball like a punt. Let the defensive line rush free. That will leave nine receivers to 6-7 defenders. I realize that’s crazy, but in realty, the offensive line doesn’t allow our QB even one second to throw already.
No QB has no chance with this o-line. They need to trade for an o-line willing to give the effort.
When will our starting offensive line be able to play together?
The injuries are keeping us from playing our best. I do not remember the year this happened when three teams had their starting offensive line play together the whole year. Two of those teams played in the Super Bowl. The overall health of our starting offensive line is crucial to our long-term success.
Tough Steeler defense. Seems the floodgates were open again to the QB. I know Coach O’Connell likes to push the ball downfield. Seems the opponents game plan for this tendency of the coach with extra pressure on Wentz. Hopefully the Vikings will have a QUICK PASSING GAME next week against the Browns.
— Jerome Turvold in Belvidere, Illinois
After watching the game, the postgame interviews, including K.O.’s, and reading opinions on X, no one can seem to admit the obvious … we’re not a good football team. Last week was a fluke against an even worse team. The offseason moves to boost both lines has been a complete bust. We still can’t win the line scrimmage on both sides. The defense is easily beaten with quick throws. And we can’t stop the run. Offensively, our line was getting dominated BEFORE the injuries, so no excuses there. We’re not good. K.O. got outcoached again. No adjustments made to counter the rush. Listening to his press conference he spoke about how the game plan was thrown off but didn’t address how he made adjustments offensively to counter. Next week is going to be even uglier, if that’s possible. If you look realistically at the season so far, we’ve only played two quarters well, excluding last week’s anomaly. K.O. saying we need to improve in all facets is the understatement of the year. We need MAJOR improvements. Like an overhaul. Next week, Browns 24, Vikes 6. I think their defense keeps us out of the end zone. I hope I’m wrong again like I was in Week 1.
I am writing this with 35 seconds left in the third quarter.
And what I want to know is simple. Where is our short passing game?
We know, with three back-up offensive linemen in there, we are going to get rushed on every play. Where are the slants, the screens, the TE, for God’s sake?
This is the layer of an offense that we just don’t have. It has been this way over the last four games. It’s pathetic, along with our back-up linemen.
Not sure where we can go from here, but it’s definitely not going to be the playoffs!
OK, a lot to cover here. As someone who has written plenty about the moves Minnesota made to improve both sides of the line of scrimmage, I’d say we haven’t been able to see the theory put into practice.
The Vikings have yet to take a snap this year with the projected starting five offensive linemen, and Minnesota has now experienced multiple games in which the team has lost more than one lineman during the game.
Sunday’s action included Brian O’Neill, a long-established leader of the group, leaving the game with a knee injury after Minnesota’s first field goal. He was replaced by Justin Skule, a veteran swing tackle who started in Weeks 1 and 2 while Christian Darrisaw was working his way back from last year’s injury.
The Vikings entered the game without promising rookie Donovan Jackson at left guard. Blake Brandel started in place of Jackson, between Darrisaw and Ryan Kelly, who left the game in concussion protocol for the second time this season. Michael Jurgens replaced Kelly.
O’Connell said after the game that O’Neill was undergoing an MRI on his knee Sunday night. Kelly will continue to be evaluated.
“We’ll totally defer to the doctors, and we’ll defer to the protocol, and then ultimately, we’re going to want to make sure Ryan’s in a good place,” O’Connell said. “That’s not anything I particularly ever want to mess around with.”
The 2023 Vikings first team totaled just nine snaps together across the entire 17-game season. That’s nine more so far than the 2025 Vikings. Sometimes best-laid plans come to fruition, sometimes they don’t.
O’Connell is next scheduled to speak with media members on Tuesday since today is a travel day. He’ll likely be asked about the status of O’Neill and Kelly on Tuesday.
Given the talent that Cleveland has on its defensive front, the Vikings will need to provide better protection than Sunday or offset the lack of it another way.
As for Barb’s question about the tight ends, T.J. Hockenson finished with 39 yards on four catches and five targets but spent a good bit of time helping out along the line of scrimmage against T.J. Watt.
It’s a four-game sample from a long season, but the Vikings wanted to have some better showings in multiple areas than they’ve realized so far.