The Minnesota Vikings are 7-2 and one of the most surprising success stories in the NFL this season. It hasn’t been a smooth ride, but that’s expected when Sam Darnold is your starting quarterback. But overall, their one-year bridge starter has overachieved, through nine games.
But Darnold isn’t the only overachiever on this roster. In fact, the one-word theme surrounding the Vikings’ 2024 season is probably “overachievers”. The defense has blossomed into one of the best in the league, under Brian Flores. Running back Aaron Jones has proven he still had plenty of gas left in his 29-year-old tank.
How good is the Minnesota Vikings offensive line?
But what about the Minnesota Vikings offensive line? Has it overachieved too, or does head coach Kevin O’Connell still have a major problem on the interior? Well, that’s a complex question to answer.
| Vikings OL (Pos) | Pressures Allowed |
Hits Allowed |
Sacks Allowed |
PFF Grade (Pos Rank) |
PFF PBLK | PFF RBLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. O’Neill (T) | 9 | 0 | 1 | 83.1 (10th) | 80.5 | 81.4 |
| B. Brandel (G) | 11 | 1 | 5 | 61.7 (44th) | 67.4 | 62.3 |
| G. Bradbury (C) | 21 | 3 | 2 | 68.0 (10th) | 53.9 | 78.1 |
| E. Ingram (G) | 24 | 3 | 5 | 54.0 (65th) | 49.1 | 58.1 |
| C. Darrisaw (T) | 10 | 1 | 2 | 81.1 (12th) | 79.9 | 82.3 |
| C. Robinson (T) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 68.7 (35th) | 72.2 | 67.8 |
Statistics, advanced metrics and PFF grades tell part of the story. At the end of the day, though, judging OL play is difficult, no matter how trained of a football eye you have. The better question is probably, what do Minnesota Vikings coaches and front office members think?
Related: Minnesota Vikings Injury Report Relatively Clean to Start Week 11
Those are the opinions that matter most. And from the sounds of it, according to a piece that dropped Thursday morning, Alec Lewis (The Athletic) seems to think those who matter have mostly liked what they have seen so far from the Vikings OL.
Contract extensions incoming for Vikings OL?
In fact, it sounds like Kwesi and head coach Kevin O’Connell may be thinking about contract extensions for multiple players on the Vikings front-5. First up, Brian O’Neill, arguably the team’s best offensive lineman. The 29-year-old is under contract through 2026, but his cap hit reaches it’s high point in 2025, at $26 million.
His current contract situation makes O’Neill an easy extension candidate. He’ll be able do add more term and a lot more guaranteed cash. In return, the Vikings can bring down that massive $26M cap hit for next season.
Brian O’Neill isn’t the only offensive lineman the Vikings may be eyeing up for a possible extension, though. According to Lewis, both Garrett Bradbury and Blake Brandel may be on the docket too.
All five [Vikings o-linemen] are under contract through 2025, but their deals do not become guaranteed until the spring, meaning there is always the chance some adjustments could be made.
The most interesting names are on the offensive line: Brian O’Neill is a fixture on the offensive front and adores Minnesota, so a contract extension to reshuffle his year-over-year numbers is not out of the question. Garrett Bradbury and Blake Brandel are worthy of deeper discussions come spring.
Alec Lewis – The Athletic
Outside of the disaster that has been Ed Ingram, the Minnesota Vikings OL has mostly been a 2024 success story. The group is holding up better than it had in previous years, even after losing its best player, Christian Darrisaw, to a season-ending injury.
Related: NFL Insiders Debate a Possible Sam Darnold + Vikings 2025 Reunion
If Kevin O’Connell prefers continuity, which seems to be another theme with this o-line, then extending everyone but Ed Ingram makes a lot of sense.
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