Unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings weren't able to walk off the field inside U.S. Bank Stadium with a win over the Chicago Bears this past Sunday. However, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was able to walk off the field without any new injuries thanks to the team's offensive line delivering an excellent performance.
Since McCarthy returned in Week 7 to take on the Detroit Lions, Minnesota's offensive line hasn't allowed a single sack (Jordan Mason gave up the only one in Detroit), and against the Bears on Sunday, the group only allowed a total of six pressures, according to data from PFF.
This past offseason, the Vikings made the decision to completely rebuild the interior of their offensive line to protect their young quarterback, and based on the performance of the unit during the last few weeks, the team's investments are finally starting to pay off.
Consistency paying off for Minnesota Vikings offensive line
For the last three weeks, Minnesota has used the same five offensive linemen in its starting lineup. That's the longest streak the Vikings have gone without having to use a different starting offensive line combo all season, and we're about to enter Week 12.
Minnesota is still waiting on center Ryan Kelly to return from a concussion that he suffered in Week 4, but the combination of Christian Darrisaw at left tackle, rookie Donovan Jackson at left guard, Blake Brandel at center, Will Fries at right guard, and Brian O'Neill at right tackle has the team's offensive line finally meeting the expectations it was given before the start of the season.
To be completely fair, the Vikings' last two opponents, Chicago and the Baltimore Ravens, have two of the weaker pass-rushing defenses in the NFL this year. So, it will be interesting to see how Minnesota's offensive line, especially if Kelly returns, is able to handle a very talented Green Bay Packers pass rush led by Micah Parsons in Week 12.
Hopefully, the performance is closer to what we've seen from the Vikings' offensive line in their last three games and not the terrible impression of blocking that they were doing during the first several weeks of the season.