Final Vikings-Colts injury report: Blake Cashman out again for Minnesota

The Vikings will be without their No. 1 linebacker for the third game in a row.

Sep 29, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Vikings No. 1 linebacker Blake Cashman will miss a third consecutive game with his turf toe injury, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Friday. He's officially been ruled out for Sunday night's game against the Colts after not practicing all week.

That means the Vikings will roll with Ivan Pace Jr. once again as their green dot player and full-time middle linebacker. Because Pace has a different skill set, Brian Flores and the entire defense need to figure out how to play better without Cashman than they did against the Lions and Rams. It should help, on paper, that the Colts don't have the same caliber of offense as those two teams. The Vikings have had ten days to prepare for this one after their stretch of two losses in five days.

Kevin O'Connell said Cashman is "very, very close, but just not quite there. Hope to have him next week." They want to be cautious and make sure he's fully healthy when he returns to action.

Also out for Minnesota is rookie defensive tackle Taki Taimani (ankle), who has played 70 defensive snaps in seven games. That likely means fellow rookie Levi Drake Rodriguez, who has been a healthy scratch all year, will make his NFL debut this week.

Guard Dalton Risner and backup cornerback Akayleb Evans are questionable. Risner remains on IR despite being fully healthy, so it's just a question of whether he's activated to the 53-man roster before or after this game.

As expected, T.J. Hockenson is off the injury report and will make his season debut this week, which the Vikings are excited about.

In notable Colts injury news, starting left tackle Bernhard Raimann has been ruled out with a concussion. That means third-round rookie Matt Goncalves will make his first NFL start on Sunday. That's a tough assignment in noisy U.S. Bank Stadium against Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Flores' blitz-happy defense. The Colts have the highest-graded offensive line in the league, but they'll be playing two backups this week in Goncalves and right guard Dalton Tucker.