The 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans for the Minnesota Vikings was their fifth win this season against an AFC opponent and one that saw a third starting offensive line combination.
For the first time in his career, right guard Ed Ingram didn't start a game in which he was active. He did miss two games with injury in 2023 but this is the first time where he ended up on the bench. In his place was Dalton Risner who had never played a single offensive line snap anywhere other than left guard.
Kevin O'Connell talks about benching Ed Ingram
The first time we knew this was a possibility was around an hour before the game when the beat writers started talking about how Risner was warming up with the ones in pregame drills.
He played every snap on Sunday afternoon and the Vikings got the win with a solid offensive performance across the board. After the game, head coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about
"I wanted to take a look with Dalton (Risner) being healthy now, seeing if we could get a little bit more just of a veteran presence there. Consistent. It was a tough challenge to have Dalton's first start on the right side be against those (Jeffery) Simmons and (T’Vondre) Sweat, that's two of the best interior guys playing right now in this league. And they are a huge part of how they're able to play all that shell coverage and really eat up combinations and all those things. We'll look at the tape and see how Dalton did. I just felt his playstyle. I felt him totally into the game. And at the same time, I was proud of the way Ed (Ingram) handled the week as well. He was knowing he'd be one snap away; he was asking great questions and he was prepared and ready to roll. So, we'll continue to try to find that best five and it's definitely not going to be a week-to-week thing. But we are going to allow some competition to play out while the season is still seven games left and the ability to try to hunt that best five and get the most out of all those guys."
O'Connell talking about having that "veteran presence" is an interesting thing to say here, especially when you talk about the combination of both Sweat and Simmons.
We know that great interior rushers have been a massive issue for Ingram and it came to fruition earlier this year in week one against the New York Giants with Dexter Lawrence. Is there a worry with Ingram's in-game confidence where it can crater after a couple of bad reps? It's certainly a possibility.
How well did Risner play? Well, he was rarely noticeable which can often be a good thing. We will find more out when the All-22 drops on Monday to get a full perspective. Will Risner get the start next Sunday against the Chicago Bears? Only time will tell.
