The heart of the Minnesota Vikings defense, starting inside linebacker Blake Cashman exited Monday's game against the Chicago Bears with injury concerns that appear to have unfortunately come to fruition.
Cashman was enjoying a strong performance in the Vikings' season opener, tallying three tackles and a pressure, but left the game in the second half after sustaining a hamstring injury from chasing Caleb Williams.
"When (Blake) Cashman isn't on the field, this is a different defense," Troy Aikman said during the ESPN "Monday Night Football Broadcast."
Minnesota Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling confirmed the worst the morning after the Vikings' triumphant 27-24 comeback win in Chicago.
On Tuesday, Sept. 9, Goessling reported on X: "Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman is scheduled for a MRI on his hamstring today, but the initial expectation is that he'll miss several weeks."
Cashman, 29, is coming off a career year in Minnesota after tallying a career-high 112 combined tackles, 28 pressures, 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and eight passes defensed.
He did so despite missing three games with a turf toe injury six games into last season. The Vikings defense surrendered nearly 400 yards of total offense in their first losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions while he was out last year.
Read more: Bears' Caleb Williams Sends Clear Message on Vikings, JJ McCarthy Rivalry
On Monday against the Bears, backup Eric Wilson stepped into Cashman's role in the fourth quarter. Wilson tallied five combined tackles and a tackle for loss and deflected a punt that was pivotal in the Vikings' comeback late in the game -- proving he's capable of handling the workload in Cashman's absence.
"You're always looking for that veteran presence, and he's a player that - I don't know if we win the football game unless you have Eric Wilson to not only, I mean, he had the [partially] blocked punt, but just the way he goes in and he's green-dottin' and calling it," head coach Kevin O'Connell said after the game. "You want to see a prototype of a veteran guy that helps your football team win by any means necessary? It's Eric Wilson."
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