Sep 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (73) goes against the Atlanta Falcons offensive line in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
4. Defensive line depth
Last week the Vikings put backup DT Shamar Stephen on IR and this week we learned that starting DT Sharrif Floyd had a small piece of loose cartilage removed from his knee after sustaining an injury in the Kansas City game.
As of this posting there was still no verdict on the severity of Floyd’s injury but the situation can’t be good if they’re taking bits of cartilage out of your knee.
With Stephen out and Floyd up in the air, the Vikings’ strong depth on the defensive line is now being tested.
Tom Johnson is a good backup and will line up a lot alongside Linval Joseph, but who comes in for Johnson?
The Vikings were forced to sign Kenrick Ellis off the street just to have enough bodies in case of in-game injury against Detroit.
No matter who the Vikings find to play inside, Mike Zimmer’s planned rotation has been thrown out-of-whack by injury and if anyone else gets hurt it will be a major problem.
At least the Vikings still have plenty of healthy defensive ends. Knock on wood.