Vikings Will Now Be Without Key Defender in Week 2

The Minnesota Vikings will look to improve to 2-0 when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, but they’ll have to do it shorthanded. For the second straight week, the Vikings will be missing some key players from their starting lineup as Blake Cashman was placed on injured reserve and Christian Darrisaw was ruled out on the team’s final injury report on Friday.

While neither loss is ideal, things could get worse by the time the Vikings kick off on Sunday night. Harrison Smith is trending in the right direction as he battles an illness, but Minnesota will be without another one of its key defenders after Jeff Okudah was ruled out with a concussion, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Jeff Okudah’s Injury Leaves Vikings Defense Scrambling for Answers

Okudah was one of the biggest surprises of training camp, earning a key role in Brian Flores’s defense. The third overall pick in the 2020 draft, Okudah had battled injuries in his previous stops with the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Houston Texans, but was able to put it all together to win a spot on the roster.

The Ohio State product played so well that it even convinced the front office to trade his competition, Mekhi Blackmon, to the Indianapolis Colts. But that move may have looked foolish in hindsight, considering the current state of the Vikings’ depth chart.

Okudah was one of the outside corners in nickel sets for the Vikings with Isaiah Rodgers on the opposite side in their season opener against the Chicago Bears. Pro Football Focus had a negative review of his performance, giving him a 36.8 grade and charging him with two receptions for 14 yards, but his absence could require more from Dwight McGlothern.

Flores mentioned McGlothern, who was a former UDFA out of Arkansas, as one player who could step up in Okudah’s absence. But he’ll also draw a top task on the outside as Drake London and Darnell Mooney will enter Sunday’s game without injury designations after battling ailments throughout the week.

With Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers good to go, the cupboard won’t be completely bare for the Vikings on Sunday night. Still, Okudah is clearly a person that Flores trusts, and it could leave the Vikings' defense without another defender on Sunday night.

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