DUBLIN -- The Minnesota Vikings' patchwork offensive line suffered two more losses in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving a series of questions as the team continues its 10-day, two-country international road trip.
Center Ryan Kelly did not play in the second half because of a concussion, his second this season and at least the fifth of his NFL career, and right tackle Brian O'Neill departed with a knee injury.
The Vikings were already playing without left guard Donovan Jackson, who had surgery last week on his left wrist. In the process, the Steelers sacked Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz six times, hit him a total of 14 times and pressured him at a rate of 32%. Two of his passes were batted at the line of scrimmage and intercepted, and he also committed a key intentional grounding penalty under duress to derail the Vikings' final possession.
O'Neill was set to undergo an MRI on Sunday night in Dublin. Coach Kevin O'Connell said he did not want to get ahead of the results but indicated that the team's medical staff was focused on O'Neill's MCL.
Kelly's condition might be more concerning given his history. The Vikings signed him to a two-year, $18 million free agent contract as part of their effort to stabilize the interior of their offensive line, but he has now suffered concussions in Weeks 2 and 4. He has missed one full game, in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and half of two others.
Asked whether any larger conversations about Kelly's career were necessary, O'Connell said: "Clearly the health of our players is always the ... beginning, middle and end. So, we'll totally defer to the doctors, and we'll defer to the protocol, and ultimately, we're going to want to make sure Ryan is in a good place. That's not anything I particularly ever want to mess around with. We'll be smart, and at the same time it's definitely not my lane to weigh in on those things until the medical staff or we get to that place."
Michael Jurgens, a seventh-round draft pick in 2024, has replaced Kelly in each situation. Swing tackle Justin Skule, who started the first two games of the season at left tackle while Christian Darrisaw completed his recovery from a 2024 knee injury, replaced O'Neill on the right side Sunday. Blake Brandel was playing for Jackson. For a moment in the second half, it appeared Brandel would be pressed into service at center when Jurgens made a quick trip to the Vikings' injury tent.
"As you lose your center and then obviously [O'Neill], it has some effect on the execution," O'Connell said, "but I don't look at it as anything more than the next man up. And we've got to consistently do some more simple things early on in the game, just from the standpoint of doing our job."
