Minnesota Vikings starting center Garrett Bradbury was ruled for a third consecutive week after aggravating a lingering back injury.
Bradbury had missed the past two games and was a gametime decision in last Saturday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts. Bradbury was in a car accident that night and said he tweaked his back.
It was a significant tweak, considering Bradbury saw seen snapping the ball to Kirk Cousins in practice last week but was listed as a non-participant in every practice approaching this week’s matchup with the New York Giants on Christmas Eve.
“He’s continuing to progress coming off the little setback with the car accident that took place [on Saturday],” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said in a December 22 press conference. “He’s feeling good. We expect to have him back. It’s just kind of a day-to-day, week-to-week thing right now. But he is progressing in a really good way.”
Austin Schlottman will start in Bradbury’s place for a third straight week.
Promising Vikings CB Cam Dantzler Questionable With Lingering Ankle Injury
Bradbury isn’t the only Vikings starter dealing with a lingering injury approaching the final stretch of the regular season.
Third-year cornerback Cam Dantzler hasn’t played just 34 defensive snaps in one game since Week 9, per Pro Football Reference. He has dealt with illness and also an ankle injury that landed him on the injured reserve list back on November 12.
The Vikings cornerbacks room has been depleted with second-round rookie Andrew Booth Jr. undergoing season-ending knee surgery and fourth-round rookie Akayleb Evans out indefinitely after suffering three concussions this year.
That’s left Minnesota with deploying veteran Duke Shelley in their stead after he was on the practice squad at the start of the season.
Shelley has shined after a disappointing stint with the Chicago Bears from 2019 to 2021. He’s posted a 70.9 Pro Football Focus defensive grade this season after a pair of sub-60.0 performances in Chicago.
However, the Vikings could benefit from Dantzler’s return. The third-year corner has struggled with the reads in Ed Donatell’s new defense but he’s a proven playmaker who can make up for mistakes and is also the team’s best corner to play press coverage with his 6-foot-2 frame.
Should Vikings Play Starters the Rest of the Season?
Minnesota has a good problem at hand. The Vikings have clinched the NFC North division but still have more to gain.
By winning out, the Vikings are guaranteed the No. 2 seed and potentially an additional home playoff game on top of the wild card round.
However, with home and road splits not much of a matter for a team that has won nearly every game by a single score, home-field advantage may not matter much.
Losing a starter could tank Minnesota’s playoff hopes. No Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw or Cousins would be a significant loss the offense could not overcome.
Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter account for roughly half of the Vikings’ pressures. Lose any of those players and the hopes of a deep playoff run are squashed.
O’Connell acknowledged that he still has hopes of the team improving after 15 weeks and that they still have plenty on the line for the rest of the season.
What could come is a timeshare at several key positions. The defense could deploy more rotational players, however, the offense likely won’t get its starters off the field unless they have a comfortable lead in the second half.
That seems far-fetched with how the Vikings have played this season.
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Vikings Starter Ruled Out Again After Suffering Setback