Vikings Likely without Key Defender on Sunday

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions on Sunday in one of the most pivotal and anticipated regular season games of the decade for both franchises.

Vikings Likely without Key Defender on Sunday

And in that matchup, Minnesota will likely be sans the services of linebacker Blake Cashman.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.

Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling tweeted Wednesday, “Sources: Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman is dealing with turf toe and isn’t expected to play Sunday vs the Lions. His status for the next game, against the Rams the following Thursday, is also in doubt from what I’ve heard.”

A brutal would-be blow, the Vikings would turn to fellow veteran linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, who has filled in admirably this season, including two interceptions when Ivan Pace Jr. missed time.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

Minnesota has also had no problem embracing “next man up” in 2024, still finding wins earlier in the season without players like Pace Jr., Jordan Addison, Dallas Turner, and T.J. Hockenson against the Houston Texans, for example.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell provided insights on Cashman’s injury. “He’ll be kind of day-to-day, week-to-week, as he deals with that. We really don’t know yet, but don’t think it will be a long-term injury, with IR or anything involved in that,” O’Connell told reporters on Wednesday. “We’ll just hopefully have him work through it and get back on the field as soon as possible. Don’t really know about his status for this week. We’ll see if he can get some limited work in throughout the week and maybe have a chance to go.”

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.

Meanwhile, running back Aaron Jones didn’t practice Wednesday after suffering a hip injury in Week 5, a status that fans will closely monitor for the week’s remainder.

O’Connell added about his linebacker predicament: “Kamu’s been awesome when he’s stepped in there. IP (Ivan Pace Jr.) will obviously be a little bit more of a hub of communication in the short term.”

Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

Cashman has logged a 75.6 Pro Football Focus grade so far in Minnesota, a wonderful first act for the Eden Prairie native. The entire 2024 free agency class has played splendidly, and Cashman is no exception. He’s tallied 40 tackles, 5 passes defended, 4 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack through five games in purple.

Minnesota is favored to defeat Detroit by two or three points on Sunday. The Lions have won three consecutive showdowns against the Vikings but haven’t won four in a row since the early 1960s.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.