The rundown: Bradbury out, getting the ball downfield and Willekes' rise

Plus, the latest Michael Pierce health update

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By Sam Ekstrom

EAGAN — With the Dallas loss firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s time to shift focus forward to this weekend at Baltimore, which is obviously a critical game for the Vikings.

FiveThirtyEight.com has Minnesota at just a 27 percent chance to make the playoffs, down 33 percent from last week when they entered the Cowboys game in playoff position.

The demeanor around the facility has seemed down this week, as well, though tackle Brian O’Neill denied there was any change in the mood.

“It's no different in my mind,” O’Neill said. “Guys aren't hanging their heads. Attitudes are the same. You aren't walking into the room and it's silent. People aren't walking around here with their heads down. That's just not the kind of group we are.”

Things may be better behind closed doors, but there’ve been few answers this week for the team’s struggles that have them at 3-4. And now they have to make a change on the offensive line following some COVID-19 news.

Let’s get into today’s rundown:

Bradbury out

The Vikings announced just before practice on Thursday that center Garrett Bradbury had been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Whether he is a close contact or a positive test, the news assures him of missing the first game of his NFL career, snapping a 39-game start streak.

Mason Cole, presumably, will take Bradbury’s place after practicing as the second-team center throughout training camp. Cole has only played sparingly this season as a sixth lineman in the Carolina game. The Vikings acquired him in March from the Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

There’s certainly a chance that Cole provides better pass blocking than Bradbury, who continues to struggle in protection for a third straight year. The former first-round pick ranks last of 31 full-time centers in pass-blocking grade, per PFF, and comes in 15th of 31 in run-blocking grade.

For what it’s worth, Cole was the third-ranked center in football during his 112 preseason snaps, but his work as a starting center in 2018 and 2020 wasn’t terrific for the Cardinals. He graded last in pass-blocking grade in 2018 and third-last in 2020 (two spots above Bradbury).