The Minnesota Vikings made significant investments in their interior offensive line during the offseason in an effort to become a more physical offense. Once left tackle Christian Darrisaw made his season debut, the full starting offensive line would stand among the best in the NFL.
But the football gods don't appear inclined to let that happen. Darrisaw made his 2025 debut in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but center Ryan Kelly missed the game due to a concussion he suffered in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. During that game, rookie left guard Donovan Jackson suffered a wrist injury that is expected to sideline him for multiple games.
Then, on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, right tackle Brian O'Neill suffered a knee injury and did not return. After the game, head coach Kevin O'Connell said team doctors were examining O'Neill's MCL, with an MRI coming later in the day.
Kelly also left the game against the Steelers. The team quickly revealed he was being evaluated for a concussion, and he was quickly ruled out for the game. Backup center Michael Jurgens briefly went into the blue medical tent, but he thankfully only missed a few plays.
One injury concern on the Minnesota Vikings offensive line uniquely stands out
If O'Neill has a significant injury to his MCL, he will be out for a while, and his absence will be just as significant as Darrisaw's was. But even with that in mind, there's an injury concern for the Vikings' offensive line that stands out.
Kelly cleared concussion protocol after missing the game against the Bengals. But now he's right back in the protocol, with significant uncertainty to come. He will almost surely miss Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns in London, then the Vikings have their bye in Week 6. From there, it's impossible to know what Kelly's outlook will be. And even if he can return in Week 7, he's more susceptible to a(nother) head injury than he has ever been.
After the game, as expected, O'Connell made it clear he's not going to rush to any conclusion regarding Kelly.
Asked about Ryan Kelly’s second concussion in four games, and whether larger conversations need to be had, Kevin O’Connell defers to medical staff and says it’s not his lane weigh in.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) September 28, 2025
As noted by Will Ragatz of SI.com, Kelly had three documented concussions during his time with the Indianapolis Colts (2016-2024), including two during the 2023 season. The head injury he suffered on Sunday would make it five documented concussions in his career, now with multiple documented concussions in two of the last three seasons. Going further, he has now suffered two concussions in a 15-day span.
Head injuries are tricky, to put it mildly, and sometimes it's too easy to get to the worst-case scenario when someone suffers two in close proximity to each other. But there has to be some real concern about Kelly right now, beyond how the Vikings are in line to be without him again.