The Minnesota Vikings got clobbered by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday (Nov. 20). Now, Kirk Cousins and company are heading into their Thanksgiving game against the New England Patriots with a chip on their shoulders.

While the Patriots are dealing with some major offensive injuries, so are the Vikings. After Sunday’s 40-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell stated in a press conference that starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw won’t play against the Patriots after getting his second concussion.

Not having Darrisaw on the roster is a huge issue for the Vikings’ offense. He was the 23rd overall pick in 2021 and has been PFF’s top graded offensive lineman this season.

With Darrisaw not playing, Blake Brandel will probably be tapped to start for Minnesota. Darrisaw was a sixth-round pick in 2020 and hasn’t played a ton, so this could pose a challenge for the Vikings. This injury could be a huge one for the Vikings’ offense, especially since Cousins hasn’t proven that he can perform to his fullest under pressure.

The latest Vikings injury report, which came out on Monday (Nov. 21), lists Darrisaw, cornerback Akayleb Evans (concussion), linebacker Za’Darius Smith (knee) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (calf) as limited participants. Justin Jefferson is on the injury report, but he’s listed as a full participant. He is experiencing a mild turf toe injury that he on Sunday said doesn’t hurt too much.

The New England Patriots (6-4) visit the Minnesota Vikings (8-2) for the third and final game the Thanksgiving slate. The Patriots and the Vikings have only competed against each other 13 times, and all of those contests were regular-season matchups. The Pats hold a 9-4 edge. Thursday’s game will mark marks the first match up they’ve had since 2018, when both teams were very different. Kickoff from U.S. Bank Stadium is at 8:20 p.m. ET, and the game will be nationally televised on NBC.