Vikings secondary depleted again for season finale against the Lions

The Vikings will be far from full strength for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Six injured players were ruled out on Friday: cornerbacks Byron Murphy Jr. (knee) and Mekhi Blackmon (shoulder), right tackle Brian O'Neill (ankle), receiver Jalen Nailor (concussion), defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy (ankle) and safety Theo Jackson (toe).

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw (illness) is expected to play despite being listed as questionable, according to coach Kevin O'Connell. Right guard Ed Ingram (shoulder) is also listed as questionable.

Tackle David Quessenberry will start for O'Neill in Detroit. O'Neill, who was voted this week as the team's Ed Block Courage Award recipient for his recovery from a torn Achilles last year, played through a sprained ankle in last week's loss to the Packers.

"[He] would not come out of the game," O'Connell said. "Quite honestly, he probably very easily could have, and nobody would've questioned it. ... That's why he's our captain and a guy I have so much respect for."

Cornerbacks Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr. are expected to be the top options with Murphy and Blackmon sidelined. Blackmon played through a left shoulder injury vs. the Packers but did not practice Thursday or Friday, as O'Connell said he dealt with lingering pain that limited his effectiveness.

Safety Camryn Bynum, a former cornerback in college, started at outside corner against the Packers. The Vikings could do that again, among Brian Flores' varied packages.

"Maybe we go with more safeties on the field, knowing how strong that group has been for us," O'Connell said.

The Vikings' young corners have been through some growing pains this season.

"They're developing," Flores said this week. "Obviously, there have been some mistakes on the field, but that comes with being a young player. But I think there's been growth in really all of them: Akayleb, Mekhi, Booth, I think all those guys have grown this year."

"Every experience is a good one," he added, "as long as you learn from it and grow from it, and I think those guys are certainly growing."

Joshua Dobbs will be the backup quarterback behind Nick Mullens, O'Connell said, over rookie Jaren Hall in part because of the NFL rule that the emergency No. 3 passer can only enter the game if the first two are injured, meaning the No. 2 QB can't get pulled for being ineffective if the starter goes down.

The Lions ruled out receiver Jameson Williams (ankle). Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (pectoral) and defensive tackles Alim McNeill (knee) and Benito Jones (illness) are questionable.

Edge rusher Danielle Hunter said he is happy that he was on enough Pro Bowl ballots to earn his third career nod to the all-star game. He attended last year's events as an alternate. The league did not overlook a career-high 15.5 sacks, which ranks fifth among all defenders with one week to go.

"It's nice to be recognized and know all the hard work is paying off, and to know that people are paying attention," Hunter said Friday.

Hunter, a free agent in March, said he hasn't thought much about whether Sunday could be his last Vikings game after eight seasons. The 2015 third-round pick said he'd like to stay in Minnesota, but "whatever happens, happens."

In Detroit, Hunter will try to get his first sack against the Lions and tackle Penei Sewell since 2021. He hasn't had a sack in his past three meetings with Detroit.

"It's not always all about me getting the sacks," he said. "They've got a good group. I've seen Sewell really grow in his time there."

Kicker Greg Joseph, who is also a free agent in March, has rebounded from a rough stretch in October when six kicks failed in three games. In the last eight games, Joseph has made 12 of 14 field-goal attempts and all 15 extra-point tries. But his overall field-goal percentage — 22 of 28 (78.6%) — ranks 28th across the league.

Second-year punter Ryan Wright has also had an uneven season. His 42.5-yard net average ranks 12th. Wright, who shanked two short-field punts against the Packers and Bears, ranks 29th in percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line and 31st in touchback rate.

"The kicking, punting, specialist realm is really a quirky one," special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said. "They kind of go through these highs and lows, and you got to find a way to ride through them and stick with them."

"It's all about really how they're built mentally and how they respond," he added, "and that will tell you everything about what you need to know."