Vikings RT Brian O'Neill left game vs. Bears with injured leg and his resilience paid major dividends
The Minnesota Vikings found a way to beat the Chicago Bears by a score of 30-12 on Monday night in a gutsy performance. Things didn't go the Vikings' way consistently throughout the game. Quarterback Sam Darnold was up and down throughout the night hitting his trademark throws down the field in tight spaces but missed […]
The Minnesota Vikings found a way to beat the Chicago Bears by a score of 30-12 on Monday night in a gutsy performance.
Things didn't go the Vikings' way consistently throughout the game. Quarterback Sam Darnold was up and down throughout the night hitting his trademark throws down the field in tight spaces but missed way more than normal, leading to a 60% completion percentage.
One reason the Vikings struggled in the passing game was the offensive line's failure to perform up to its normal standard, and it's easy to see why.
Brian O'Neill's gutsy performance helps lead Vikings to victory
The game only saw one injury for the Vikings and it was to right tackle Brian O'Neill. He got rolled up on in the first quarter and came out of the game. In the final drive ahead of halftime, O'Neill left for the locker room early to get his knee checked out.
"Yeah, he was able to come back, you know, got his knee evaluated there, and ended up getting taped up and came back in the game," said head coach Kevin O'Connell. "We felt in a little bit, we're already down one tackle and to have B.O. go in and get evaluated. We wanted to make sure he was okay to return, which he was. But, you know, as always, you come out of a game like this, we'll see how he does and turns over during the week. I'll keep you posted. But Brian O'Neill, once again, just showing, you know, what he's all about, you know, going back in there and playing really good football."
Being able to come back was huge for the Vikings, as they needed him to hold down the fort. David Quessenberry stepped in and played relatively well, but it wasn't nearly up to the standard that O'Neill has set on the offensive line.
His performance didn't go unnoticed either, as Darnold mentioned it after the game.
"It was unbelievable. What a gutsy performance, like you said by B.O. to be able to, you know, I'm sure he was in a lot of pain, to be able to go out there and finish and, just be the leader that he is, be super tough and be that guy. And it was great to have him out there at the end."
O'Neill is likely to get his knee looked at further on Tuesday, but it's in relatively good shape.
The Vikings are 12-2 and it's because of performances like O'Neill's week in and week out that has them in this position.
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