Vikings lose star LT Christian Darrisaw for remainder of season due to knee injury

Christian Darrisaw's season is officially over after he suffered a left knee injury in the Minnesota Vikings' 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

Coach Kevin O'Connell announced Friday that the star left tackle will undergo season-ending surgery for “significant” injuries to his ACL and ACL. Minnesota will place Darrisaw on injured reserve with the expectation that he will be able to return for the 2025 season.

Darrisaw, the Vikings' first-round draft pick in 2021, has appeared in 46 of his first 48 appearances for the Vikings, including all seven games this season. O'Connell admitted that Darrisaw was “in good spirits” and called him “one of the best left tackles in football.”

How did Darrisaw's injury come about?

The Vikings got the ball back with less than a minute left in the first half of Thursday night's game. Minnesota ran the ball with running back Aaron Jones, and as Jones fought his way through the blockers, Rams safety Jaylen McCollough collided with the back of Darrisaw's knee. The 25-year-old fell awkwardly on the grass and the trainers immediately looked after him. He was helped off the SoFi Stadium turf and led to the locker room.

O'Connell hinted at the severity of the injury Thursday night, saying Darrisaw would undergo tests to “confirm” the extent of the injury.

Some have questioned O'Connell's decision to run the ball on first down, and O'Connell pointed out that Rams head coach Sean McVay still has a timeout. O'Connell also explained that the Rams were light on personnel, so the Vikings felt like they could make a run, potentially leading to a quick score before halftime and before the Rams had the ball to start the second half could. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer

What does Darrisaw's injury mean for the Vikings?

For a team already struggling with two straight losses, that's about the most disappointing news. Darrisaw has a presence in the run blocking department and has kept quarterback Sam Darnold clean for the most part all season.

Removing the pressure on Darnold was crucial to the quarterback's success. If he is pressured in 2024, his completion rate will drop by about 15 percentage points. Sacks also doomed several Vikings drives, and most of them were the result of interior pressure rather than edge protection.

The Vikings will likely turn to backup David Quessenberry, who filled in for Darrisaw on Thursday. They could also reshuffle their line by moving Blake Brandel to left tackle and using Dalton Risner at left guard.

It's also possible the Vikings could try to get a replacement, but Minnesota finds itself in a confusing position. The Vikings are 5-2 in a difficult division with a once-dominant defense that has now been exposed for two weeks in a row. They don't have a ton of 2025 draft capital and they don't have a handful of young players waiting in the wings, so maintaining that draft capital seems necessary.

Minnesota has other needs too. Most importantly, the Vikings need help on the interior of the defensive line, interior of the offensive line and at cornerback – positions that have been needed since the arrival of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in 2022. — Lewis

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(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)