A Caleb Banks Breakout Is Even More Crucial as Vikings Enter Week 3 With Ingram-Dawkins Injury Concerns

Despite some miserable conditions at Soldier Field during the Vikings' win over the Bears, Minnesota escaped the Midwest monsoon relatively unscathed.

Fortunately, the Vikings have only two injuries to monitor this week after their gritty victory, but one could force first-round pick Caleb Banks into some significant action in Week 3. Punter Brett Thorson has a hamstring issue, and starting defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has a hip injury that leaves him day-to-day, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. (h/t ESPN's Kevin Seifert).

Two injuries to monitor this week, per Kevin O'Connell....

P Brett Thorson (hamstring) will be further examined.

DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (hip) is day to day.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) September 21, 2026

If Ingram-Dawkins can't go, Banks could find himself in a bigger role, especially coming off a strong display in Chicago following a less-than-stellar season opener.

Caleb Banks may be called into significant action against the Buccaneers

Banks played just 16 snaps against the Packers in his NFL debut, not registering a stat. He followed up the lackluster season opener with a much more active Week 2, notching six tackles, including one for loss and four run stops. He was also credited with his first quarterback pressure, according to Pro Football Focus.

Now, the Vikings may need to lean on Banks even more against the Buccaneers in Week 3.

The polarizing Banks has yo-yoed between generational prospect and generational bust nearly on a daily basis. The 6-foot-6, 327-pound lineman possesses elite size and burst, but injuries and a lack of fundamentals have kept him in a backup role at the start of the season. He was always expected to be a developmental project internally, but his first-round draft stock doesn't allow for much patience among fans. He may get his chance to silence some of the critics this weekend.

Caleb Banks looks on. — The upcoming showdown with the Buccaneers is the perfect opportunity for Caleb Banks to silence all of his doubters. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With his conditioning clearly much improved from this summer, Banks showed why he was selected early in the draft against Chicago. He got push up the middle, shoving veteran Joe Thuney into the lap of Caleb Williams on multiple occasions, and had a few nice stops in the run game. While there was still some meat left on the bone, it was a vast improvement from a rather disappointing preseason and Week 1 display.

After the Chicago game, Banks was asked what he thought about his much improved performance.

To be honest, I'm surprised I got that many. I was playing like my head was on fire a little bit, just trying to get after the quarterback and stop the run as much as I could.
Caleb Banks on his 36 snaps in Week 2

Much like his reputation, his confidence has been riding a roller coaster since the day he got drafted. Should Banks get the nod to start this Sunday, he'll be tasked with breaking down a strong Tampa Bay front. His confidence during his rookie season has wavered at times, but the Bears game left it in a good place, according to Banks.

"It's been up-and-down," Banks said. "Coming from Florida, you think you're the best guy in the world—nobody can block you. Then you get slammed to the ground, and your confidence is completely gone, but as long as you stay focused, you should be good. It's pretty high right now."

Let's hope that Banks's confidence leads to impactful results should the Vikings call his number in Week 3.

Get Vikings On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google