Don’t Take 1 Vikings Luxury for Granted
The Minnesota Vikings have enjoyed a convincing victory over the New York Giants, celebrating the Week 1 win after a one-year hiatus. In the various power rankings landscape, folks are unimpressed by the beatdown, thinking that the reason for the result was New York’s inaptitude rather than Minnesota’s talent.
Don’t Take 1 Vikings Luxury for Granted
Indeed, Giants fans could be looking at another rough season, as neither offense nor defense looked particularly pleasing against the Vikings. The only player who put his stamp on the game was nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, who presented a tough challenge for the purple team. Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram were surely happy to see the clock expire.
Two of New York’s best players, at least on paper, are pass rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Burns was acquired via trade from the Carolina Panthers after producing 46 sacks in his first five seasons. Thibodeaux, the 2022 fifth-overall pick, was coming off an 11.5-sack season.
Vikings fans just shrugged. That’s the luxury of having Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, allowing the fans to enter matchups even against good edge duos with unusual composure.
Burns and Thibodeaux logged one QB pressure each and could be titled non-factors.
And entering Week 2, with Nick Bosa and his fantastic 49ers defensive line coming to town, fans will again have respect but no fear of encountering the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year.
It’s uncommon to have an offensive tackle duo like that. Rick Spielman, longtime general manager, ousted in January of 2022, selected both in the draft. O’Neill joined in the 2018 second round. Many viewed the converted tight end as a project, someone who might need a year or two to flourish.
But he was inserted into the lineup early in his debut season and played quite well. Always playing at a borderline Pro Bowl level, O’Neill has been reliable throughout his career. Late in the 2022 season, O’Neill suffered a partially torn Achilles, knocking him out of the final few games. It was a mystery whether he would be ready for Week 1, but he recovered in time to face the Buccaneers.
Later in the 2023 season, he once again suffered a significant injury, fracturing a bone in his foot. The contest against Green Bay was a must-win matchup, and he played in heroic fashion. When the season was virtually over with the final whistle, the Vikings shut their team captain down.
His counterpart, Darrisaw, was a 2021 first-round pick. Spielman traded down from his 14th pick and still landed Darrisaw at 23. The offensive tackle out of Virginia Tech missed the offseason program, training camp, preseason, and the season opener due to a core muscle surgery.
Once he entered the game, however, he played remarkably well. The occasional rookie mistakes were surrounded by wonderful reps. His year two jump was expected by many, and he surely exploded in the first season under Kevin O’Connell after his first healthy NFL offseason.
In the third year, he continued to play at a high level, and the fact that he didn’t get an invite to the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro nod in either season is a travesty. A couple of injuries in the last two seasons cost him a total of five games.
Darrisaw still received a massive contract extension, tying him to the team through the 2029 season. O’Neill, meanwhile, signed his contract in 2021. He will be with the club for the next two seasons and is scheduled to be a free agent in 2027.
Having the duo on the offensive line allows the interior to double-team players, as neither Darrisaw nor O’Neill requires a lot of help. It also helps the quarterbacks to be calm in the pocket without having to fear pressure from the outside, which Sam Darnold can take advantage of this season and hopefully J.J. McCarthy in the future.
Bosa will be a significant test, and so will Leonard Floyd. The good news is the Vikings are ready for that challenge simply by having their unsung standout blockers available.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt