Getty Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings watches during warmups alongside quarterback Kirk Cousins prior to a game against the Chicago Bears in January 2023.
The board is set as the Minnesota Vikings return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and a couple valuable pieces push to get back just in time to make a difference.
Finishing the year with a record of 13-4, the Vikings clinched the No. 3 seed in the NFC Playoffs and will host the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, January 15, at 4:30 p.m. ET. That will hopefully be enough time for starting center Garrett Bradbury and backup tackle Blake Brandel to make their way back into playing shape after head coach Kevin O’Connell said both are scheduled to practice Wednesday.
“The hope is we can get [Bradbury] practicing this week,” O’Connell said. “The hope is to have him out there, more than likely limited on Wednesday, and then we’ll see if we can just build his work in throughout the week and then just see how he feels. Ultimately, I just want Garrett to give it a go and see if he can turn the corner and possibly help us.”
“In addition to that, we will open Blake Brandel’s [IR practice] window this week,” the coach added.
Giants D-Line Gave Vikings Trouble in Regular Season Matchup
GettyThe Minnesota Vikings plan to open up offensive tackle Blake Brandel’s practice window this week ahead of their Wildcard matchup with the New York Giants.
Brandel, a second-year offensive tackle, has appeared in 22 total games in his career and earned three starts. He went to the injured reserve list (IR) after tearing his MCL in Week 14 against the Detroit Lions.
If healthy enough to suit up against the Giants, Brandel adds crucial depth to a banged up Vikings offensive line that had serious problems against New York’s defensive front when the two teams met on Christmas Eve in Minneapolis.
The Giants racked up 11 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss and four sacks of quarterback Kirk Cousins, as the Vikings pulled out a narrow 27-24 victory. A new problem this time around will be missing Pro-Bowl tackle Brian O’Neill, who is done for the year because of a partially torn Achilles tendon. O’Neill started at right tackle, a position at which a healthy Brandel can fill in, if necessary.
“Shifting our focus to the New York Giants, recent opponent, went down to the wire at U.S. Bank Stadium,” O’Connell said Monday. “Needed everything we had to win that one and no reason in the world why the expectation won’t be the same. We’re gonna have to play really good against this team.”
He spoke specifically to the threat New York’s defensive line poses, both on the edge and the pass rush it can generate from the interior.
Vikings More Confident in Backup Chris Reed After Win Over Bears
GettyCenter Garrett Bradbury of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 18, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
If Bradbury is unable to go this weekend due to his lingering back issues, Minnesota will turn again to backup center Chris Reed.
A new addition to the Vikings roster in 2022, the seven-year veteran has appeared in just seven games this year and got his first start last weekend against the Chicago Bears. He filled in for the injured Austin Schlottman, who was filling in for Bradbury until he went on IR with an ankle injury that has ended his season.
O’Connell spoke about the improvement he saw from Reed after getting the start on Sunday.
“I thought Chris took a big step forward. You know, having a week of practice to really get under his belt and that communication and dialogue with Kirk [Cousins], I thought we were much more smooth,” O’Connell said. “As the game went on we had some false starts and things by guys that just hadn’t played a whole lot, but as far as Chris with Kirk in that first group, it was much, much smoother, so that’s a real positive.”
The coach added, however, that getting Bradbury back would be a boon for the Vikings and that he would immediately move back into the starting center position.
“If Garrett can go, obviously he’ll be in there and we’ll build it around him,” O’Connell said. “But I think having [left tackle Christian Darrisaw] back is huge, and [right tackle Olisaemeka Udoh] is another guy you can really take a look at his snaps from yesterday and [he] took another big step forward. A guy that talented, that big, that strong, to start gaining confidence knowing that he’s gonna be in there for us, you feel really strongly about his growth here in the short-term.”
Also back on the field in Week 18 was tight end Irv Smith Jr., who was knocked out in Week 8 with a high ankle sprain that doctors initially thought may cost him the entire season. However, the Vikings plan to use Smith significantly in the playoffs, which will include a good amount of blocking in the run game.
“To say he needed to knock the rust off, absolutely not. His ability to just fit right in with how we envisioned using him — snap count wise, kinda saw it going that way. He ended up playing 32 snaps in the game and did his job across the board in the run game,” O’Connell said of Smith’s play against the Bears. “Really helps our team and gives us a versatile option. The expectation is he’s going to play a role for us here, however many opportunities we have left.”