Vikings Donovan Jackson Likely Out Rest of 2026 and Christian Darrisaw in Concussion Protocol

The Minnesota Vikings were able to start the season 4-0 following a 15-10 win over the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, but unfortunately it was not all good news as there is a tough injury update for the Vikings.

On that note, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that offensive guard Donovan Jackson tore his meniscus, and that will require surgery, which will very likely end the regular season for Jackson.

This is a very tough update for Jackson as the Vikings have had a great start to the season thus far with the 4-0 start, but now Jackson will be out and have to watch from the sideline.

Losing Jackson is going to be tough for Minnesota to overcome, especially because this offense has struggled to get going so far this season, especially when it comes to the passing attack, as quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, combined, are averaging 156 passing yards per game, which ranks No. 32 in the NFL.

Overall, the Vikings offense has been unable to get going consistently which makes the fact that they have started the season 4-0 even more impressive. 

More on those offensive struggles is the fact that the Vikings have allowed 13 sacks so far in 2026, which the second most in the entire NFL. 

Allowing the second-most sacks in the entire league while also struggling to move the ball through the air is not a great place to be, but even with all these issues, this team is in a solid position.

With that said, not having Jackson in the lineup likely for the rest of the season will now force someone to step up on the interior of the Vikings' offensive line. At this point, the most likely option appears to be second-year guard Joe Huber, who gained some valuable experience last year as a rookie and could provide some solid play.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if the Vikings can get going on the offensive side, and if the offensive line can be a catalyst for that even though Jackson is likely out for the year and Huber appears to be stepping in.

It is important to note that another injury to monitor on the offensive line is offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, who is now in concussion protocol per NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

On that note, it will be interesting to see who could step in for Darrisaw if he misses time as it could be rookie offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan or fourth-year offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark.

With Jackson already out and Darrisaw now in concussion protocol, this offensive line is in a very tough position with several tough teams left on the schedule.

So, heading into Week 5, it will be interesting to see how Darrisaw progresses through concussion protocol and if Huber can perform well for Minnesota in place of Jackson, because if this offensive line cannot play well, this offense will very likely continue to struggle and could put Minnesota in a really bad spot offensively.