The Minnesota Vikings are shuffling their roster before their Christmas Day game against the Detroit Lions. While the Vikings are out of the playoffs, they have won three straight games and look to end their 2025 NFL season on a positive note.
In an attempt to win a fourth straight game and ruin the Lions’ playoff hopes, Minnesota announced on December 24 that the team has added guard Henry Byrd to the 53-man roster and promoted linebacker Sione Takitaki to the active roster for tomorrow’s matchup.
Center Ryan Kelly, who suffered a concussion in the win over the New York Giants, has been placed on injured reserve, and tight end Gavin Bartholomew has been ruled out for the game against the Lions.
The Kelly news is crushing, considering the number of concussions he suffered this season, and he made positive strides after returning. During the first eight NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Kelly suffered three concussions.
That total grew this season after he sustained concussions in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons and Week 4 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, leading the Vikings to place him on injured reserve.
Kelly returned in November with upgraded protection, switching to a Guardian Cap during games. The added safety measures seemed effective, as December 21 marked his fifth game back.
Vikings Announced Outs for Game Against the Lions
Kelly and Bartholomew aren’t the only players out for the contest against Detroit as the Vikings announced their final injury report before they play on Christmas Day. The team announced on December 24 that running back Jordan Mason will also miss the game against the Lions after suffering an ankle injury in the win over the Giants.
Meanwhile, in the pass-catching department, tight end T.J. Hockenson won’t be in the starting lineup as a shoulder injury will keep him out. While he’s not ruled out, offensive lineman Brian O’Neill was listed as questionable for the game against Detroit. As a result, the Vikings could have two key players on their offensive line for rookie backup Max Brosmer.
Vikings Will Miss J.J. McCarthy Against the Lions
Furthermore, the main absence will be starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. After struggling for a good part of the season, McCarthy seemed to have started to turn his situation around after returning from his concussion. Nonetheless, after suffering a “very, very small hairline fracture “in his right hand, McCarthy must overcome another hurdle.
As a result, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on December 23 that McCarthy will sit out the Christmas Day matchup against the Lions. Brosmer will get the call to start, though O’Connell admitted it’s frustrating to watch the Michigan product miss another game this season.
“It’s just a bummer,” O’Connell said (h/t ESPN). “It’s been really fun. … I know the week-to-week judgment of players and decisions and all these things that are noise in many cases, I understand it all. But the most fun part of this, and the most real part of it, is coaching the young player on his journey where we’ve really started to see, kind of, some things click for him.”
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