Kevin O'Connell
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Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell provided a slew of injury updates ahead of Week 2
The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a crazy comeback in their season-opener against the Chicago Bears, and when all was said and done, they walked away with a 27-24 victory on Monday Night Football. It was a great win to start the J.J. McCarthy era off, and the team will be looking to keep up the positive momentum heading into Week 2.
Of course, not everything worked out perfectly for the Vikings in this game, and that includes several key players picking up injuries along the way. On Wednesday, head coach Kevin O’Connell provided a slew of injury updates, as it sounds like Minnesota could be a bit shorthanded for their second game of the season.
Kevin O’Connell Provides Several Vikings Injury Updates
Winning is always great in the NFL, but the Vikings will have some issues to fix moving forward. For much of the first three quarters, their offense was anemic, and while they did enough to win late in the game, the team is going to need to put together more complete performances in the future if they want to win.
Doing so is going to be easier said than done, especially with injury concerns beginning to mount for Minnesota. Speaking on Wednesday, O’Connell revealed that both linebacker Blake Cashman and running back Ty Chandler have picked up injuries that will force them to miss time, dealing the team an immediate blow in Week 2.
They aren’t the only guys who could miss time, though. O’Connell also shared that linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and cornerback Jeff Okudah are in the concussion protocol, meaning they will have to clear that in order to play on Sunday. Doing so on a short week is going to be tough, and they both could also end up missing the Vikings’ next game.
“Blake Cashman and Ty Chander … it looks like both of them will miss some time,” O’Connell said when speaking to reporters. “We’re still working through what that looks like roster-wise, but I do plan on both of them returning, but I don’t have a real timetable as far as what that looks like from a standpoint of the next few weeks.”
“Jeff Okudah and Andrew Van Ginkel did come out of the game and have been placed in the concussion protocol, so that will be something to monitor, clearly, on a short week. They’re both doing well, but they are indeed in the protocol.”
Kevin O’Connell, Vikings Could Be Shorthanded in Week 2
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Stephen Maturen/Getty Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Of these four guys, losing Cashman and Van Ginkel would deal the Vikings’ linebacker corps a significant blow, as both guys started in Week 1. Van Ginkel, in particular, blossomed into a star for Minnesota last year, earning a Pro Bowl selection and a spot on the All-Pro Second Team for the first time in his career. Chandler and Okudah are depth options for Minnesota, but being without both of them will also place O’Connell in a bind.
There’s a chance that Okudah and Van Ginkel could play in Week 2, but there’s no timeline for when either of them will escape the concussion protocol. As for Cashman and Chandler, they are set to miss some time, with some more clarity on their injury statuses being expected in the near future. Minnesota will return to the field for practice on Thursday as it prepares for its upcoming matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.