The last three weeks haven’t been kind to the Minnesota Vikings.
Over the course of the last 22 days, the Vikings have lost their starting quarterback, running back and left tackle to serious, career-altering injuries. On Wednesday, Minnesota announced running back Adrian Peterson would be undergoing surgery to repair his torn meniscus, while left tackle Matt Kalil will join quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on season-ending injured reserve with a lingering hip injury.
Coach Zimmer announces that @AdrianPeterson is having surgery tomorrow and the #Vikings have placed Matt Kalil on IR.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 21, 2016
It’s possible Peterson will also miss the rest of the season.
There is still good news: The Vikings are 2-0, with a big win over the Green Bay Packers in the first ever game at U.S. Bank Stadium, and Sam Bradford and Stefon Diggs provided a big jolt of optimism on offense with huge games in Week 2.
However, the trio of significant injuries are hard to look past.
Bridgewater may never be the same player after dislocating his knee and tearing various ligaments. There remains no guarantee he’ll return to start the 2017 season, which is one reason why the Vikings made an aggressive move for Bradford.
Peterson and Kalil may never play for the Vikings again.
Peterson is 31, and his contract contains zero guaranteed money in 2017. If the Vikings don’t want to pay an older running back with two major knee surgeries $18 million next year, they can cut Peterson and clear every penny from the team’s 2017 salary cap. It will be a tempting but difficult decision for general manager Rick Spielman.
Kalil will be a free agent after this season. The former fourth overall pick has been a massive disappointment in Minnesota, especially after his promising rookie season. Unless the Vikings want to pursue a short deal for Kalil this spring, he’ll likely leave Minnesota as a top-5 pick who didn’t receive a second contract.
Luckily, Mike Zimmer’s Vikings are built to withstand the setbacks. Bradford was sensational in his first start on Sunday night, and the Vikings have recent experience (see: 2014 season) in dealing with life without Peterson. While Minnesota doesn’t have a great starting option behind Kalil at left tackle (T.J. Clemmings will get the first shot), his yearly struggles leave little room for significant drop off at the position.
And don’t forget about Zimmer’s elite defense, which made Aaron Rodgers look like a rookie quarterback in Week 2. It’s a unit that should keep Minnesota in every game. Remember, the Vikings won with Shaun Hill at quarterback and Peterson rushing for 19 yards in the season opener in Tennessee—largely because of defensive touchdowns from linebacker Eric Kendricks and defensive end Danielle Hunter.
The Vikings have been stung bad by the injury bug, but the residual effects of the last three weeks don’t have to kill off Minnesota’s still promising season.
