Injury updates from Kevin O'Connell on Vikings' Brian O'Neill, Ryan Kelly

The Vikings continue to be hit hard by injuries on their offensive line. They came into Sunday's game in Ireland without left guard Donovan Jackson, then lost right tackle Brian O'Neill to a knee injury and center Ryan Kelly to another concussion over the course of their 24-21 loss to the Steelers.

Afterwards, head coach Kevin O'Connell provided an update on both players.

O'Neill departed in the first quarter after injuring his knee on a Will Reichard field goal. After being looked at by medical personnel, he hobbled off the field and eventually into the locker room for further evaluation. He's going to get an MRI later on Sunday, and there's concern for his MCL.

"I was out there when they evaluated him," O'Connell said. "Don't want to get too far ahead, from a standpoint of what it might be, but it sounded like they were talking about his MCL. So that's one they'll have to evaluate. I know he was trying to do everything in his power to tape it up and see if he could go. One of the toughest guys on our team, so I know he would've absolutely tried to get back out there if he could."

If it is an MCL injury for O'Neill, the length of his absence will depend on the severity. He seems almost certain to miss next week's game against the Browns, but if it's a mild MCL tear, he could be back in Week 7 after the Vikings' bye. If it's more severe, the absence could be an extended one.

Swing tackle Justin Skule, who filled in for Christian Darrisaw at left tackle earlier this season, replaced O'Neill at right tackle on Sunday. Any reps he has to take against Myles Garrett next week would be a problem.

Meanwhile, Kelly's concussions are becoming a significant concern for the Vikings as well. He left this game with a concussion, which is his second in the last 15 days. Kelly also suffered a concussion in Week 2 against the Falcons and missed last week's game against the Bengals against the result. He previously had two documented concussions in 2023 and is now up to five for his career.

O'Connell was asked if any bigger-picture questions have to be asked following Kelly's latest brain injury.

"The health of our players is always the beginning, the end, and the middle of that conversation," he said. "So we'll totally defer to the doctors and we'll defer to the protocol. And then ultimately, we're gonna want to make sure Ryan's in a good place. That's not anything I particularly ever want to mess around with, so we'll be smart. Definitely not my lane to weigh in on those things until we get to that place."

Michael Jurgens is almost certainly in line for another start against Cleveland next week in London.

Of the Vikings' five starting offensive linemen, only right guard Will Fries has not missed any time due to injury this season. The group of five haven't taken a single snap together as a complete unit.

Vikings offensive line — Jonathan Harrison, Bring Me The News

The only other injury note from Sunday was that quarterback Carson Wentz got poked in the eye at one point. He was able to continue playing.

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