Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: it has been an ugly game for the Minnesota Vikings. Their tilt against the Baltimore Ravens has been tough to watch, yet the Vikings are still hanging in there, only down by nine late in the third quarter. As has been the case for a lot of the Vikings’ games this season — and for several years — it’s the defense that has kept the Vikings within striking distance while the offense struggles.
It’s going to be a bit harder for the Vikings’ defense to keep the game close now that they’ve lost one of their most important players. Vikings’ linebacker Jonathan Greenard has suffered a shoulder injury and has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Jonathan Greenard injury update
Greenard was injured in the middle of the third quarter while attempting to chase down Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson, whom the Vikings’ defensive line has done a good job keeping in check. Greenard chased Jackson from the pocket and made a diving attempt to bring the quarterback down behind the line of scrimmage. Jackson was able to just barely escape the diving attempt by Greenard, with the Vikings’ linebacker landing hard on the turf and immediately showing signs of pain.
Greenard was evaluated on the sidelines briefly, then was seen heading back to the locker room with a towel over his head and still in visible pain. After a few minutes in the locker room, the Vikings’ officially labeled Greenard as questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
How long will Greenard be out?
We don’t have any further information on Greenard’s status beyond being labeled questionable to return. However, from the look of the play the injury occurred on, and the amount of pain Greenard appeared to be in, a collarbone injury may be the most likely diagnosis.
If that is the case, and the collarbone was broken on the play, Greenard could be shelved for a good portion of the remainder of the year. If Greenard suffered a separated shoulder on the play, he could be good to go for next week, depending on the severity of the separation. There’s a pretty wide range of outcomes here, and we’ll likely have more clarity in the coming days.
Vikings linebackers depth chart
With Greenard likely sidelined for the rest of the game, the Vikings are going to lean heavily on standout edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel even more heavily than they already do. They’ll also be looking for more of a contribution from 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner to make up for the loss of Greenard.
