Vikings in the danger zone as nightmare slide becomes a real possibility

If they don't find answers, the Vikings could quickly find themselves sinking in the standings and thinking about a top-10 pick in the draft.

Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) moves around the pocket under pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson (41) and safety Deshon Elliott (25) during the third quarter during an NFL International Series game at Croke Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Injuries have taken a toll on the Minnesota Vikings through four weeks of the NFL season, and the schedule won't do them many favors if they can't put a healthy lineup on the field in the coming weeks.

At 2-2, the Vikings don't have a lot to worry about in the standings just yet, but a banged up offensive line could cause big problems against a talented Browns defense next Sunday in London. And then, after a Week 6 bye, the Vikings might not be able to breathe easy for the final 13 weeks of the regular season.

The health of the O-line

Barring any surprises on the injury report, we can say with some degree of certainty that left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right guard Will Fries will be starting against the Browns. But we already know left guard Donovan Jackson will miss a second straight game after undergoing wrist surgery last week. And there appears to be a real chance, if not a likelihood, that center Ryan Kelly and right tackle Brian O'Neill will miss the game in London.

Kelly is dealing his second concussion in the span of 14 days, and O'Neill is set for an MRI with a potential MCL knee injury. If the Vikings have to go to war with three backups on the O-line, Carson Wentz or whoever starts at quarterback for Minnesota might want to get some thicker pads.

Vikings offense has been mostly bad

We already have plenty of evidence to confirm that the Vikings struggle when starters are missing on the offensive line. They were down two starters in the trenches for most of the game against Atlanta in Week 2, and J.J. McCarthy was sacked six times. With three linemen down for the majority of the game against Pittsburgh, Wentz was sacked six times.

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Not only are the backups making life on the quarterbacks difficult, they also struggling to help produce an impactful running game.

With a mostly healthy O-line against the Bengals in Week 3, Jordan Mason rushed for 116 yards and the Vikings looked great. With a beat up line blocking for him against the Steelers, Mason was held to 57 yards on 16 carries, with a long run of only nine yards. Against Atlanta, the Vikings had only 78 rush yards.

However, the Vikings have been awful on offense in three of four games. The offense had six points in the first three quarters before scoring 21 points a fourth-quarter comeback behind McCarthy in Week 1. McCarthy and company were then held to six points in a loss to the Falcons. And Wentz and the Vikings trailed Pittsburgh 24-6 before scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Take away the Bengals game and Minnesota has been held to six points in the first three quarters of every other game.

Vikings could tumble down the standings

Nobody is hitting the panic button yet, but if the Vikings lose to the Browns they will be 2-3 and entering a brutal stretch with consecutive games against the Eagles (4-0), Chargers (3-1), Lions (3-1), Ravens (1-3), Bears (2-2), Packers (2-1), Seahawks (3-1), Commanders (2-2) and Cowboys (1-2).

None of those are cupcakes. Heck, the Ravens, depending on Lamar Jackson's hamstring, are probably the scariest 1-3 team in recent memory. The Commanders are 2-2 despite playing the last two games without Jayden Daniels. The Bears have won two straight and they almost beat Minnesota in Week 1. The Cowboys have been up and down, but they clearly have dangerous pieces.

Not even the home games in that stretch are all that favorable considering they're against the Eagles, Ravens, Bears and Commanders. That leaves very difficult road games in L.A., Detroit, Green Bay, Seattle and Dallas.

And if those nine consecutive weeks weren't tough enough, the Vikings end the season with a road game against the New York Giants and then home games against the rival Lions and Packers. If it weren't for that favorable Week 16 matchup with the Giants (who beat the Chargers with rookie QB Jaxson Dart on Sunday), the Vikings would be staring at 12 straight really tough opponents to end the season after the bye.

How fast could they slide? Well...

If the Vikings lose to the Browns and fall to 2-3, the Eagles could quickly make them 2-4 and then the Chargers could send them spiraling to 2-5 four days later on Thursday Night Football. A game in Detroit the next week screams 2-6. Things could get out of hand fast.

Even if the Vikings beat the Browns to get to 3-2, the first three games out of the bye are so tough that even a healthy Minnesota team might lose all of them.

If the first month is about finding an identity, the Vikings are still searching and they're out of time. They need to figure it out, healthy or not, right now.