In Week 10, the Vikings Could Be Forced to Pull the Ripcord
Yes, the 2-7 record is far from inspiring, but Jacksonville still has some notable talent on its roster.
Consider, for instance, the defensive front. The Vikings will need to slow down Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. So, too, will they need to contend with Arik Armstead, the veteran defensive tackle who has long been a handful.
At off-ball linebacker, Devin Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun are putting together strong seasons, at least per PFF. Does that collection of talent cause Minnesota to pull the ripcord? Put differently, does another rough game for the interior o-line lead to Dalton Risner getting inserted into the starting unit?
The Vikings Pulling the Ripcord on the iOL
Risner is a starting-level NFL guard. Does that mean he’s among the three best options for the Vikings’ iOL?
Minnesota has been marching through the 2024 season with an interior o-line that’s remained untouched. Blake Brandel (read an exclusive interview with the LG1 on VT), Garrett Bradbury, and Ed Ingram have been the trio getting the job done. Can Minnesota do better?
For a long time, Vikings writers and fans have wondered aloud whether Ingram should be replaced in the starting lineup. He got scooped up at No. 59 back in the horrendous 2022 NFL Draft and has been a starter ever since. Should that continue?
Going into Week 10, Ingram has allowed 5 sacks, 2 QB hits, and 21 pressures. He has also been dinged with committing a trio of penalties. By a decent bit, Ingram is the worst offensive lineman in Minnesota’s starting group.
PFF — not the final word on football analysis, but a helpful tool — largely corroborates that idea. In their mind, Ingram is the NFL’s 71st-ranked guard among the 77 who are considered. His 51.8 grade is getting dragged down by a 46.5 pass-blocking score.
Contrast those grades with the others along the interior o-line. Mr. Brandel is sitting on a 62.7 score (not great, but respectable) while Mr. Bradbury is sitting on a 67.0 score (again, not elite, but solid).
Risner, it’s worth noting, is a left guard by trade. Flipping sides isn’t for everyone, so the assumption shouldn’t be that he would offer the Vikings a guarantee of better play if he were to slide into the RG1 spot.
The point, folks, is simply that the performance from the iOL wasn’t good enough against a talented Colts defensive front in Week 9. All of the players along the inside had moments where they could have played better. In the end, Minnesota was able to overcome the issues up front to pull off the victory, which is the most important thing, but the possibility — not a guarantee, a possibility — exists that the front five could see a boost if the personnel got switched around a bit.
Dalton Risner was brought back for a reason, given a single-season deal that’s paying him $2,410,000. Seeing him jump into the lineup if the iOL needs a shake up won’t be surprising.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.