The 4 Vikings Injury Issues After the Giants Game, Including a Season-Ending Gut Punch

The Vikings injury issues aren’t ample. Still, there’s some to make note of, including the confirmation of the worst-case for a veteran pickup.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell chatted with the media after the game for about ten minutes. Consider what he had to say about the roster’s collective health: “Obviously, Jamal Adams with a right knee. Initial exam does not look good […] Caleb Tiernan had a left ankle. And then Max Brosmer had a right thumb.” Per O’Connell, Brosmer tried to get back into action but Minnesota opted to play things cautiously.

O’Connell explained toward the end of the presser that rookie safety Jakobe Thomas was held out due to “back stiffness, soreness.” On a positive note, the Vikings’ skipper explained that the rookie safety is still doing individual work at practice, further suggesting that the injury isn’t debilitating (as stiffness and soreness suggest).

The 4 Vikings Injury Notes After the NYG Game

A specific play underscored why the Minnesota Vikings desired veteran safety/linebacker Jamal Adams, at least from the perspective of the on-field criteria. Check out the tackle for loss:

In the play above, Mr. Adams is doing basic Mr. Adams things: making a terrific play on the other side of the offensive line. He’s exploding through the B gap while sifting through the eye candy provided by the Giants to tackle the runner almost immediately after the hand off. In that moment, Adams offers a tantalizing glimpse of what he could have offered the Minnesota Vikings.

Unfortunately, Adams isn’t going to be available for the 2026 season.

The terrible news from Ian Rapoport: “#Vikings defender Jamal Adams, who was carted off in yesterday’s preseason game, was diagnosed with a season-ending knee injury, source says. His season is over before it began.”

Off the field, the veteran is awesome. Look for him to be a shepherd in the 2026 season despite not being able to play.

Brosmer, thankfully, appears to be sorting through what appears to be a minor problem. The Minnesota Vikings are not immune to passer troubles, leading to abundant caution. Expect him to get back into action before too long so long as the x-ray doesn’t reveal something totally unexpected.

Meanwhile, there’s some uncertainty surrounding Tiernan. The rookie offensive tackle raised pessimism when getting drafted due to his short arms; he raised optimism due to his great feet. Per PFF, the kid struggled in his NFL preseason debut, finishing off with a very poor 28.2 grade. Did the ankle ailment slow the young fella?

Finally, note the issue with Thomas.

The rookie boasts excellent size — 6’1″ & 211 pounds — and a soft-spoken demeanour that hides his on-field snarl. Playing it safe with ailments is par for the course for the Vikings. What makes his injury a touch more notable is the season-ending injury to Jamal Adams. Losing the veteran shifts a bit more emphasis onto the rookie.

Is a cluster of talent consisting of Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and Jakobe Thomas good enough? Other in-house options consist of Tavierre Thomas, Kahlef Hailassie, and Jacob Thomas (not to be confused with Jakobe).

Next up for the Minnesota Vikings is a pair of joint practices against the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday and Thursday. On Saturday, the second preseason game will take place inside U.S. Bank Stadium.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.