Minnesota Vikings: Will the hurtin’ ever stop?

If you’re a Vikings fan, then you’ve seen plenty of heartbreak through the history of the franchise. Whenever the team has it going for them, something promising, it somehow all falls apart.

Let’s be honest, this may be the most talented Vikings team that fans have seen in at least a decade. That’s fair to say, right? It’s safe to say that the team has already improved talent wise, since last season.

But with the amount of injuries that the offensive line has suffered so far, takes a big hit on depth and being able to build a successful line. It doesn’t matter who you have behind that line, if the linemen can’t successfully do their job, then the offense just will not be as promising as it should be.

Offensive linemen Josh Andrews and Cedrick Lang were two of the six players to go down with injuries on Saturday. Andrews hurt his ankle and was helped off the field. However, Lang’s injury looked to be a little more severe. He was carted off the field with a lower leg injury.

Minnesota was already out with four starting offensive linemen to begin with: Mike Remmers, Rashod Hill, Pat Elflein and Nick Easton.

Head coach Mike Zimmer is expecting Remmers to be back by next week and Elflein to be good to go by the start of the regular-season. He still seems to be unsure about the timetable for Hill’s return.

This is what Zimmer had to say about the injury-plagued line:

This isn’t the first and won’t be the last time where injuries derail a season. But in all honesty, if Remmers and Elflein can return before the regular-season begins, then the offense may be alright. It’s important for Hill to make a quick return too, although Brian O’Neill is fighting for a starting spot, the two are the only right tackles on the depth chart.

With Andrews being out, that only leaves Tom Compton and newly signed guard Kaleb Johnson at left guard. The Vikings are rolling with this “next man up” mentality, but what happens when there isn’t another guy to step up?

I’m not panicking, but I’m definitely concerned about the first few weeks of the season strictly because of the offensive line. I know I’m not the only one who thinks that, I do hope it all works itself out.