Vikings tackle Oli Udoh out for the season because of torn quad tendon

Further testing revealed tackle Oli Udoh suffered a season-ending torn quad tendon in his left leg during the fourth quarter of Thursday night's loss to the Eagles, head coach Kevin O'Connell said.

Udoh earned the swing tackle job out of training camp and started for left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who was expected to play before aggravating his left ankle injury during warmups. Udoh, the 2019 sixth-round pick, has started 18 games for the Vikings.

"That's very, very unfortunate with the offseason Oli has had and his willingness to step in on a short week," O'Connell said.

The coach said Friday that he's hoping Darrisaw and edge rusher Marcus Davenport (ankle) return for the Sept. 24 game against the Chargers. He was asked whether they're considering injured reserve for center Garrett Bradbury, who reinjured his back on Sept. 10.

"I'm hoping not," O'Connell said. "We've got some positive early-on news on Garrett. We'll see how he kind of handles some treatment over the weekend and see what his practice participation can look like next week. I'd say it's a real possibility for Garrett to have a chance to go next week."

The Vikings are down to six healthy linemen on the active roster: right tackle Brian O'Neill, left guard Ezra Cleveland, right guard Ed Ingram, center Austin Schlottmann, guard Blake Brandel and tackle David Quessenberry. O'Connell said Thursday night they'd be discussing whether they need to add reinforcements.

"If there's ways we can do that to competitively attack this thing, we'll take a look at it," O'Connell said. "But I do have a lot of confidence in our guys, but clearly we've got to do something a little bit differently and really focus on how to run the football better to help our pass game."

Edge rusher Danielle Hunter's three sacks against the Eagles marked the fourth time in his NFL career he's had a hat trick. He looks like he's back to a Pro Bowl-caliber standard. Hunter now has four sacks this season — seven away from triggering a $1 million incentive for reaching 11 this year. That bonus goes up to $2 million with 12.5 sacks and $3 million with 14 sacks. He's also a free agent in March.

"I'd feel better if we had some wins," Hunter said Thursday night. "I'm not a stat guy. I'm here for the team and my teammates. At the end of the year, everything will play itself out. But I'm here for my teammates."

O'Connell was asked Friday whether "the book" is out on how to run on the Vikings defense after surrendering 259 rushing yards in Philadelphia. Minnesota shut down Tampa Bay's run game in the Sept. 10 loss, giving up just five rushing first downs and 2.2 yards per carry.

"The book on that is going to require similar personnel with a quarterback like Jalen Hurts," O'Connell said. "Hopefully, getting Marcus [Davenport] back with more significant snaps would take the load off that outside backer group, and when we shift him inside, his physicality and the way he can impact the game is something we're looking forward to seeing hopefully soon."

Thursday's game averaged 15.1 million viewers according to Nielsen's ratings, making it the most-watched game in NFL's brief history with streaming, according to the Associated Press. Last year's first game on Amazon between the Chargers and Chiefs averaged 13 million viewers.