So the Minnesota Vikings are gearing up for a tough matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4, and they’re gonna have to do it without their starting left guard, Donovan Jackson. Coach Kevin O’Connell dropped the news during his Monday press conference, revealing that Jackson underwent surgery for a wrist injury he suffered back in Week 2.
Apparently, the team knew the injury was gonna require surgery, but they decided to let Jackson play through it in Week 3 against the Bengals. Now, he’s out for at least Week 4, and the Vikings are scrambling to figure out who’s gonna fill his spot. They’ve got a few options, including undrafted free agent Joe Huber, veteran Blake Brandel, or maybe even Michael Jurgens, who’s been playing center with Ryan Kelly out.
Speaking of Kelly, O’Connell is “optimistic” that he’ll be back in the lineup for Week 4, which would be a huge boost for the Vikings. But even if Kelly returns, the team is still gonna be down a key interior lineman, and that’s bad news for a team that’s about to face Cam Heyward and the Steelers’ defense. Heyward is a beast, by the way – he just had a monster game in Week 3, with a sack, a forced fumble, and a tipped pass that led to an interception.
Jackson’s absence is a big deal, especially considering how well he played in Week 1. He had a 74.3 overall grade, but his performance took a hit in Weeks 2 and 3, probably due to that wrist injury. Now, the Vikings are gonna have to rely on a backup to block Heyward, which isn’t exactly ideal. But hey, maybe one of those backups will step up and surprise us. Either way, it’s gonna be a tough test for the Vikings’ offense in Week 4.
