The Vikings will play the Giants in New Jersey on Sunday. If they get there.
Minnesota’s team plane left before returning to the airport, due to an issue with the aircraft.
“Shortly after departing, the team plane experienced mechanical issues that required a return to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport,” a team spokesman said, via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “The team will board a second plane momentarily and is expected to arrive at Newark International Airport later tonight.”
Goessling’s tweet was posted at 5:20 p.m. ET. “Momentarily” has proven to be more malleable than usual.
As of this posting, at 8:00 p.m. ET, the second plane has not departed.
Via Goessling, the initial plane turned around at 3:05 p.m. ET, landing at 4:04 p.m. ET.
The end result is a lengthy delay that will interrupt significantly the team’s Saturday night schedule.
Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the 6-8 Vikings have won two games in a row, and by all appearances are doing whatever they can to finish the season on a high note.
Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux’s season is over.
The Giants placed Thibodeaux on injured reserve on Saturday because of the shoulder injury that has kept him out of the team’s last four games. Thibodeaux had 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks in the 10 games he did play this season.
The Giants exercised their option on Thibodeaux’s contract for the 2026 season. He’s set to make a fully guaranteed salary of $14.751 million.
Cornerback Art Green was activated from injured reserve to fill Thibodeaux’s roster spot. The Giants also elevated defensive lineman Elijah Chatman and kicker Ben Sauls from the practice squad for their game against the Vikings.
Vikings safeties coach Michael Hutchings is returning to the West Coast.
Hutchings, a San Francisco native who played and coached at USC, is leaving Minnesota to join Tosh Lupoi’s staff at Cal. Hutchings will take over as defensive coordinator, Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report reports.
Lupoi and Hutchings were high school teammates at De La Salle High School in Concord, California.
Hutchings is finishing his third season with the Vikings, spending 2023 as the assistant defensive backs coach.
He also has coached at Oregon and Western Kentucky.
The Vikings are placing left tackle Christian Darrisaw on injured reserve, coach Kevin O’Connell said.
Darrisaw has not had a setback with his knee.
“It’s been a complex injury he’s had,” O’Connell said, via Alec Lewis of TheAthletic.com. “I’ve admired the way he’s attacked this.”
Defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (thigh) is the only other player ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Giants.
Right tackle Brian O’Neill (heel) is questionable after not having a full practice all week. Blake Brandel will start at right tackle if O’Neill can’t play, O’Connell said.
Tight end Gavin Bartholomew (back) and running back Ty Chandler (knee) also are questionable.
The Vikings placed safety Joshua Metellus and outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard on injured reserve, ending their seasons.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Monday that Greenard’s second season with the Vikings would end with shoulder surgery after the edge rusher aggravated his injury in Sunday’s victory over the Cowboys. He initially injured his shoulder in Week 10 against Baltimore.
Metellus also had been playing through a shoulder injury, which has had him on the injury report since Week 13.
Metellus totaled 86 tackles, half a sack, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, a team-high two interceptions and six passes defensed.
“We’ve just been evaluating that shoulder, kind of a week-in and week-out basis, and got home late Sunday, went through some of the medical evaluations Monday and into yesterday, and it’s been determined he’s going to get his shoulder fixed,” O’Connell said Wednesday, via Craig Peters of the team website. "[Vice President of Player Health and Performance] Tyler [Williams] and his group, our doctors and Josh feel like this is the right time to not risk possibly injuring it any more.”
O’Connell said Metellus and Greenard will remain around the team and be “heavily involved” in helping to push their teammates to finish the season in the right way.
Greenard totaled 38 tackles with three sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, three passes defensed and a forced fumble.
The Vikings also announced that rookie tight end Gavin Bartholomew is returning to practice this week. He has spent the year on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
