Vikings Place Another Starter on IR
The Minnesota Vikings have been no stranger to injuries this season.
Between IR stints for both Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson as well as games without multiple other playmakers, Minnesota has had to navigate plenty of periods of adversity this season.
The Vikings have been dealt another blow as starting LB Jordan Hicks was placed on IR on Tuesday, thus leaving the team without another starter for at least four weeks.
Vikings Place Another Starter on IR
The Vikings announced the move on Tuesday afternoon, tweeting, “#Vikings have placed LB Jordan Hicks on IR. RB Myles Gaskin has been signed to the practice squad and DL Michael Dogbe has been released from the practice squad.”
Hicks left last Sunday’s game with a lower leg contusion, and he actually had to be transported to a local hospital to undergo a procedure for the injury. Luckily, the linebacker seems to be in good spirits and posted the following on Tuesday:
The linebacker signed with the Vikings in 2022, and while last year was a bit underwhelming for the veteran, he has bounced back in a huge way during 2023.
After making a name for himself as a blitzing linebacker who can fly all over the field, Hicks blitzed on just 17 of his snaps last season, by far a career low. This year, Brian Flores has unlocked the veteran LB’s skills as a blitzer once again, and Hicks has been on pace to blow his career high of 89 blitzes out of the water (he has 71 through 10 games).
Hicks has been PFF’s 19th-highest graded linebacker this season with a grade of 76.7 through the first 10 weeks of the season. A big reason for that has been an improved ability in pass coverage. PFF has graded him at 72.6 in that category this year, his highest mark since 2018.
Of course, this will be a big loss for the Vikings over the next four weeks, but they have been preparing for such a loss to begin the week. On Monday, Minnesota brought back Pro Bowler Anthony Barr, who spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Vikings.
The Vikings also have a promising playmaker in Ivan Pace at the position, who played 56 snaps in Sunday’s game as a result of Hicks’ injury. Troy Dye could also get more defensive snaps over the next few weeks.
With a matchup against the Denver Broncos looming, Minnesota will need to prepare their group without one of their veteran leaders. Over the past few weeks, the Vikings defense has been one of the better groups in the league.
They’ve allowed just 19 points per game over their past three games, which is the 10th-best mark in the NFL. Hopefully, Brian Flores can navigate this loss of Hicks to continue putting out a productive unit.
Vikings Statistical Rankings Through Week 10: Defense
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.