The Minnesota Vikings will be down two starting players when they face the Chicago Bears in Week 11. Moreover, both absences will impact the offense and defense, so Minnesota must determine how to replace them.
On November 14, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced that Jonathan Greenard and Ryan Kelly would be the only two players on the purple side who would enter the game against Chicago with an injury designation.
“Jonathan Gernard will be out for the game,” O’Connell told reporters. “We’ll continue to be day-to-day and hope he keeps responding well to treatments, and we’ll keep you posted next week on him. And then Ryan Kelly had a great week of practice. Been kind of a plan we had to get him back rolling, and then we will rule him out for this week.
“But hopefully continue that positive progression right into next week. Plan all along has been to do what’s best for Ryan, and he’s in a great place right now. Really happy with the week he had, and we’ll pick that back up next week in our preparation. Those will be the only two players that will have a designation going into the game.”
What Will the Vikings Miss Without These Two Players?
Greenard is central to Brian Flores’ defensive plans. Although the scheme allows for versatility, Greenard primarily focuses on pressuring the quarterback and maintaining the edge against the run. The 28-year-old has recorded two sacks this season along with 31 tackles, 18 QB pressures, nine QB hurries, and one forced fumble, per Pro Football Reference.
With this production out of their squad, the Vikings will have to rely on another defender to disrupt Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, the other key absence is center Kelly. Signed in free agency this past March, Kelly has seen very limited action in his first season with the Vikings.
He suffered a concussion in Week 2 and missed the following week. When he returned in Week 4, another concussion sidelined him again, leading the team to take a cautious approach and place him on injured reserve.
In his absence, Blake Brandel, who has experience at tackle and guard, has been starting at center. When Kelly returns, his experience and blocking ability should provide a noticeable boost. He remains the only starting offensive player currently sidelined.
Vikings’ Offense Will Need to Step Up
Despite not having Kelly, the Vikings’ offense will need to get going amid their recent struggles. Ahead of the game against the Bears, T.J. Hockenson was asked about how the Vikings’ offense can be more effective, especially on third down.
“I think you know getting the ball in the hands of our playmakers and letting us go and doing our thing,“ Hockenson told reporters on November 13. “I think that’s what we’ve talked about, just trying to stay efficient on first and second down and be in a manageable third down. That’s a big part of it.
“[In Week 10] we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit on early downs, and now you’re in third and long, third and unmanageable. A key factor is being efficient on first and second down, then getting into a third-and-manageable situation to make it easier.
“Once you get outside of third and six or third and seven, it’s tough on an offense to try to go get another 10-plus yards and make that third down. So, it’s just us being efficient on offense and all 11 doing our jobs.”
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