Why the Vikings benched Ingram for Risner and how it went against Titans

Risner seems likely to retain the right guard job moving forward, but he was only OK on Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs into position to pass during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Vikings made the decision to bench inconsistent third-year starter Ed Ingram and give Dalton Risner the nod at right guard in Sunday's game against the Titans. The end result was a victory on the road, but Risner wasn't exactly an immediate upgrade in his first career game at RG.

The former Denver Bronco, who had played left guard in each of his first 73 NFL starts, allowed a pressure to star Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on the Vikings' first offensive play. He settled in after that and only allowed one more pressure the rest of the way, but he finished with a subpar 50.0 PFF grade (60 is average). That includes a 55.3 pass-blocking grade and a 47.9 grade in run blocking.

"I wanted to take a look with Dalton being healthy now, seeing if we could get a little bit more of a veteran presence there, consistent," head coach Kevin O'Connell said postgame. "It was a tough challenge to have Dalton's first start on the right side be against Simmons and (T’Vondre) Sweat, that's two of the best interior guys playing right now in this league. We'll look at the
tape and see how Dalton did. I felt his play style. I felt him totally into the game."

Regardless of how PFF viewed Risner's performance, it seems like a near certainty that he'll get another start next Sunday in Chicago. It wouldn't make sense for the Vikings to flip-flop back to Ingram after one game. Using PFF grades, which aren't perfect, the bar for Risner to clear is low. Ingram's 54.0 grade in nine games ranks 58th out of 63 guards who have played at least 300 snaps this season.

"I was proud of the way Ed handled the week as well," O'Connell said. "Knowing he'd be one snap away, he was asking great questions, and he was prepared and ready to roll. So, we'll continue to try to find that best five. It's definitely not going to be a week-to-week thing, but we are going to allow some competition to play out while the season is still — seven games left and the ability to try to hunt that best five and get the most out of all those guys."

Consistency is the reason O'Connell cited for making the move on Sunday, and that feels like the reason why Risner will likely keep the job the rest of the season. He's a better pass protector than Ingram, largely because he's less susceptible to disastrous reps where he whiffs on a block entirely or steps on a teammate's foot. Those plays can ruin drives.

Ingram is a better run blocker, and that's a real concern for the Vikings after Aaron Jones and Cam Akers combined for just 64 yards on 25 carries against the Titans (2.56 YPC). But the need to keep Darnold upright would seem to outweigh the benefit of better run blocking at one of the five spots on the offensive line. Risner also figures to grow more comfortable at RG with more reps over time.

It's not out of the question that the Vikings could go back to Ingram in a few games if they aren't liking what they're seeing from Risner. But the more likely outcome appears to be that the 2022 second-round pick will remain the backup for the rest of this season.