The Minnesota Vikings are set to face off against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night in a crucial game to stay in the race in the uber-competitive NFC North division. Fortunately, they will have one previously questionable key starter back for the matchup.
Vikings starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw surprisingly popped up on the team’s injury report on Wednesday with a knee injury that put his status for Thursday’s game in question.
This resulted in the team putting Darrisaw through a pregame workout on the field at SoFi Stadium to see whether his knee was in good enough condition to suit up for the game.
After taking part in the individual workout with a Vikings trainer to gauge where his knee was at, the Vikings got positive feedback on Darrisaw’s availability.
According to ESPN Vikings reporter Lindsay Thiry, who was down on the field watching the workout, the Vikings have officially decided to make Darrisaw active for the game.
While this is obviously positive news for the Vikings, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport did raise a bit of concern about Darrisaw in his own post on X, insinuating that the Vikings star may be on a limited snap count due to his knee injury.
Additionally, Rapoport also noted that fellow Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill will not be available for Thursday’s game as he continues to nurse a knee injury of his own.
Being without O’Neill, a two-time Pro Bowler, is certainly a negative for the Vikings. But Darrisaw being active should certainly help matters in keeping Carson Wentz clean, which has been a huge struggle for Minnesota thus far this season.
In the Vikings’ six games thus far this season, they have allowed 23 sacks, the second-most of any team in football behind just the Tennessee Titans.
Establishing a threat in the ground game could go a long way in helping stop the Chargers’ pass rush. Fortunately, Minnesota will have another versatile weapon on offense returning from injury, as star running back Aaron Jones is set to return from a multi-game absence due to a hamstring injury.
Thursday’s matchup certainly seems like a crucial one for Minnesota, given the fact that they sit at the bottom of the NFC North at 3-3 on the season. So Vikings fans are certainly hoping that Darrisaw being active will go a long way in helping their offense operate smoothly in a winning effort.
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