Because of a torn meniscus in his knee that will require surgery, after the promising second-year player was injured in the first quarter during a 15-10 win over Miami, eAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings left guard Donovan Jackson likely will miss the rest of the regular season.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell announced the news on Monday, revealing another significant setback for an offense that has struggled to consistently move the ball despite the team’s 4-0 start. Jackson was a first-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2025. Jurgens will have his 21-day practice window opened this week, O’Connell said. The Vikings have a bye in Week 6 and thus could give him extra recovery time with only one more absence, but O’Connell said the schedule won’t be a factor in the decision about when Jefferson returns.
Ryan Van Demark, who signed with the Vikings as a free agent this year after three seasons with Buffalo, took over for Darrisaw. “Don’s gotten off to a great start. Joe Huber, a second-year player who made the team last season as an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin, replaced Jackson. Running back Jordan Mason will miss at least one more game on injured reserve.
“It’s very, very unfortunate,” O’Connell said. Jefferson made “great progress” last week, according to O’Connell, but he didn’t practice at all and was ruled out ahead of the game. “We’ll see how he does throughout the week,” O’Connell said. “I don’t have any real projection on whether we’ll have him or not.”
The offensive line depth, which was a persistent problem last year as the interior injuries piled up, could get a boost soon with the return of center/guard Michael Jurgens, who began the season on injured reserve . The Vikings’ offense also was without star wide receiver Justin Jefferson on Sunday, his first absence in nearly three years.
