4 Vikings players that must step up after their 2022 bye week

Which Minnesota Vikings players must step up following their team’s bye week in 2022?

While the NFL continued undeterred, the Minnesota Vikings enjoyed a solid period of rest during their 2022 bye week. It’s been a hugely encouraging start for Kevin O’Connell, with the new head coach coming away with five wins from his first six contests to comfortably sit on top of the NFC North.

There are still plenty of things to clean up and it hasn’t been easy at times. But the Vikings can feel very confident about their hopes of clinching the division and securing a much-needed return to the playoffs along the way.

The bye week is a chance to fix some issues, regroup, and refresh. Something that’s brought improvements for Minnesota in the past under previous head coach Mike Zimmer without quite getting over the line.

With that in mind, here are four Vikings players that must step up their respective performance levels in Week 8 and beyond.

Player No. 1

Ed Ingram – OL

There were always going to be some teething problems where Ed Ingram was concerned. This is the case with most rookie offensive linemen, but the 2022 second-round pick must improve consistency over the Vikings’ remaining fixtures to avoid becoming a weak link.

The LSU product is credited with giving up four sacks already this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Ingram’s run blocking’s been encouraging more often than not, so the bye week was a good chance for the highly-touted player to make the adjustments needed to become a growing force as the campaign goes on.