On Sunday the Minnesota Vikings experienced a reality they spent all offseason intending to witness. After committing a boatload of money to a revamped interior offensive line, it took a whopping 12 weeks for the starting group to take the field together .
Healthy for the first time, and facing a key divisional rival in the Green Bay Packers , it seemed to bode well for J.J. McCarthy . Unfortunately the young quarterback was terrible again , and the fivesome didn't make it through the game intact.
After a pair of concussions and a stint on injured reserve , veteran center Ryan Kelly was back to lead the offensive line. Although Will Fries was out of practice early in the week , he took the field as well. Unfortunately neither left tackle Christian Darrisaw or guard Donovan Jackson , finished the contest.
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Head Coach Kevin O'Connell provides injury updates following today's game. pic.twitter.com/5dO0LXvwI0
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 23, 2025
"Christian Darrisaw had an ankle that he tried to play through. Eventually he came out of the game. Donovan Jackson also had an ankle and a foot and was trying to come back in the game. The trainers thought it would be best to hold him out as well. Metellus had a shoulder, but was battling through that, and able to return."
The Green Bay Packers throttled the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 23-6. J.J. McCarthy threw for a single negative yard and two interceptions in the second half. By the time the bell sounded, both Jackson and Darrisaw were on the sideline.
Darrisaw has proven to be an instrumental part of the line as it was beyond evident to see the dropoff from Justin Skule early in the year. Jackson was a first round selection in the draft, and he has proven to be valuable as well.
Through six games , McCarthy has been nothing short of terrible. It's gotten to the point that legendary franchise wide receiver Cris Carter isn't afraid of pointing it out . Realistically a healthy offensive line doesn't seem to matter, but it certainly adds insult to injury.
Both injuries seem to be relatively minor in nature as neither player went down on the field. Each lineman could be back next weekend. The Minnesota Vikings opened as 9.5 point underdogs against Sam Darnold and the Seahawks in Seattle .
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