Monday Night Football went poorly for the Minnesota Vikings in just about every way, and that extends to the health front.
After the Vikings’ 24-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced that safety Harrison Smith suffered a concussion during the game.
As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, this comes with the Vikings having a short week ahead, hosting the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Smith, 33, has been one of the best safeties in the NFL since entering the league with the Vikings in 2012 out of Notre Dame. He’s been selected to six Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro in 2017.
In 2021, Smith had a career-high 114 tackles, three sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. He’s had five interceptions in three different seasons, most recently in 2020.
Smith exited Monday night’s game in the fourth quarter and had a game-high 13 tackles (five more than anybody on the Vikings’ defense). Entering the season, he was named one of the Vikings’ three captains on defense.
Brain injuries are always a scary situation, so Smith and his well-being are of course the main things to take into consideration here. But in terms of the football impact, Smith’s absence would be a huge loss for the Minnesota defense.
UPDATE: On Friday, Harrison Smith was ruled out for Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings game vs the Detroit Lions due to the concussion.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.