Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell reveals unfortunate news during Wednesday’s press conference that will impact Sunday vs. Packers
Brian Flores’ defense is the best in the National Football League, and they could be without their best player.
Sunday afternoon’s game for the Minnesota Vikings against the Green Bay Packers just got a little bit harder. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced during his Wednesday press conference that inside linebacker Blake Cashman is in the concussion protocol after Monday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It was a tough game for Cashman. He suffered what O’Connell described as a stinger in the second half, but a hard hit after that ended up sending him into the protocol. It’s a tough one for the Vikings, especially since it’s a short week.
Blake Cashman is in the concussion protocol
This is a tough one on multiple levels. Brian Flores’ defense is predicated on pressure and communication, two things that Cashman emphasizes. He is the green dot player for the Vikings, meaning he communicates the plays to the defense from Flores.
Cashman has been instrumental in creating all kinds of chaos. Flores sends him and Eric Wilson on cross-dog blitzes that put the offensive line in conflict. Cashman (16) and Wilson (18) have been incredible at creating pressure this year, and have also found ways to be successful in coverage, something Flores has done often when they line up in the A-gaps.
Cashman isn’t guaranteed to miss the game at this point, but it would be shocking to see him play on a short week. If he does miss the game, his starting job would default to Ivan Pace Jr. He has played just 81 snaps, as Cashman and Wilson have each played 479 of the 508 snaps.
We could also see some more snaps from rookie second-round pick Jake Golday rotating in, as he’s been on the field for just 32 snaps so far. It’s not a surprise to see him play this little, because Flores has always palyed his linebackers a very high percentage of snaps.
It will be a tough loss for the Vikings to be without Cashman for any length of time, but it won’t crater their unit.
