Getty Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings will be without safety Lewis Cine for a crucial Week-4 road contest against the Carolina Panthers.
Cine suffered a hamstring injury last weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers and will miss this Sunday’s game, at least.
The hamstring injury that has sidelined Lewis Cine, the Vikings’ No. 1 pick in 2022, occurred during Sunday’s game vs. Chargers, the team said. Coach Kevin O’Connell said today that he is hoping Cine “can progress and that this is not a long-term deal.”
“The hamstring injury that has sidelined Lewis Cine, the Vikings’ No. 1 pick in 2022, occurred during Sunday’s game vs. Chargers, the team said,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter, on Friday, September 29. “Coach Kevin O’Connell said today that he is hoping Cine, ‘can progress and that this is not a long-term deal.'”
Lewis Cine Developing History of Injury, Struggling to Get Snaps with Vikings Defense
GettySafety Lewis Cine of the Minnesota Vikings is on the team’s injury report with a hamstring injury and will not play against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
Cine has developed a considerable history of injury throughout just two seasons in the NFL. The reserve defensive back and special teams player suffered a compound fracture against the New Orleans Saints in just his third career game, which knocked him out for the remainder of the year.
The safety then suffered an injury during the preseason in August to his right hip/leg, per Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Now, three games into his sophomore campaign, Cine is out again with a soft tissue injury.
Cine has appeared in just six of a possible 23 regular season games during his career and also missed Minnesota’s playoff loss to the New York Giants in January. Cine has yet to start a game for the Vikings and played just two defensive snaps last season compared to zero thus far in 2023, per Pro Football Reference. He saw the field for 34 special teams plays in 2022 and has played 38 snaps in that phase this year.
Cine is currently playing on the second year of his initial four-year, $11.5 million rookie contract. As a former first-round pick, the Vikings will be able to exercise a fifth-year team option on Cine’s deal following the 2024 campaign. However, fifth-year options are expensive, and the likelihood Minnesota makes that move decreases the more often Cine is hurt and the longer it takes for him to start getting defensive reps at the safety position.
Vikings to Play Must-Win Game Against Panthers Sunday
GettyMinnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (left) and quarterback Kirk Cousins (right) following the team’s Week-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in September 2023.
Injuries or not, Minnesota has no excuses three games into what has been a disappointing season.
Despite being competitive through most of their three contests, the Vikings are 0-3 and on the brink of total irrelevance less than 25% of the way through the regular season. The good news is they have a chance to get back on track against another of the NFL’s winless teams when they face the Panthers.
Carolina got some good news late this week, as rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young is slated to play when the Panthers host the Vikings at 1 p.m. ET on October 1. Minnesota is a 4.5-point favorite to win the contest as of Friday, per Draft Kings Sportsbook.