EAGAN, Minn. — After a strong start to the season, Donovan Jackson's second NFL campaign is being cut short.

The Vikings left guard injured his knee against the Dolphins Sunday, and imaging taken Monday confirmed a torn meniscus that will require surgery.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell spoke to media members and said the injury will "likely end his regular season" based upon early prognosis.

"Donnie's gotten off to a great start this year. Unbelievable offseason and ascending player," O'Connell said. "A temporary setback for him, but very, very excited about Donovan Jackson the player, and we'll support him and love him up, and he'll still be a big part of that O-line room and culture here as we move forward."

Though it will be a challenge to replace Jackson, O'Connell spoke highly of the job Joe Huber did stepping in for him and noted coaches have been "really excited" about the interior lineman since signing him in 2025 as an undrafted rookie.

"He's physical. He's a smart player, has spent a lot of time really diving in, working," O'Connell said. "Whether it's been with [center] Blake [Brandel] or his reps he's taken at center, I think it's opened up his viewpoint and his ability to impact at [multiple positions].

"But yeah, it's definitely going to be something we've got to work through, and Donnie, I would definitely say was an impact player for us," O'Connell added. "High expectations for Joe. I know his teammates have him, [offensive line coaches], they have high expectations for him, and we'll do whatever we can to support him and expect him to play well."

According to analytics site Pro Football Focus, Huber did not allow a sack or hit of Kyler Murray in 71 snaps. Ryan Van Demark, who played 36 snaps in place of left tackle Christian Darrisaw, also was not assessed with allowing a sack or a hit.

Darrisaw exited the game in the second quarter with a neck injury but then returned. He later left again, however, to be evaluated after a different play and is now in the concussion protocol.

"Working through initial stages on that," O'Connell said. "I'll keep you posted throughout the week on where he's at."

Center Michael Jurgens and tight end Ben Yurosek, who have been on Injured Reserve, will begin practicing this week and be evaluated.

Here are four other takeaways from O'Connell's media session:

1. Murray's final stretch

O'Connell described encouragement after watching the way Kyler Murray finished Sunday's game.

The Vikings QB completed 12 of 13 passes in the fourth quarter, highlighted by gains of 27 and 22 yards, respectively, to Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.

O'Connell said he and Murray are spending "more and more time together" either in 1-on-1 situations or working on game plans and playbook processing.

"Even though we're in Year 5 [of this offense] and we may call it something all of our players know, it might be the first time since either an install in the spring or training camp he's hearing it," O'Connell said. "I thought there were some plays where he was really comfortable in a game where the Dolphins pass rush — whether it was via stunts or some of the pressure packages — they were able to get to him a few times.

"There was a firm feeling to his footwork and his drop and then getting through progressions," O'Connell added. "I thought he had some huge backside throws to move the chains to T.J. late in the game, and then he used his legs a couple times to create some extra time and put the ball in play or take off and get us some yards."

2. Hockenson playing unselfish football

It was a big afternoon for Hockenson, who logged 13 catches for 119 yards. He also had a chance to score a touchdown at the end of the game but slid just before the paint, helping the Vikings secure a win without having to put their defense back on the field.

O'Connell said Hockenson's skill set "showed up" in multiple ways Sunday and it was rewarding to see the tight end be so involved.

"T.J., he's done so many selfless things. As a guy that last year, with some of the adversity we had on the offensive line, to need him to do some jobs before he got out on routes, his improvement and his commitment in the run game has been felt," O'Connell said. "It was great to see him have that kind of day and would've loved to get him in the end zone there at the end — but he was just doing what he was told from a standpoint of being able to kneel that thing out and keep our defense at 41 snaps.

"Even though every ounce of my being felt the building would have loved to see him take it over the goal line," he added, "but situational football is not always a fun thing. It's doing the right thing in the right moments to go 1-and-0, and that's what he did."

3. New role for Tiernan

After Josh Oliver's Week 3 biceps injury that sent him to Injured Reserve, the Vikings are getting creative in replacing the big-bodied tight end.

Rookie offensive lineman Caleb Tiernan multiple times reported as eligible Sunday to fill that blocking role.

As far as whether he'll continue using Tiernan that way, O'Connell said that could be dependent on how the offensive line room shakes out each week. He tipped his cap to the 2026 draft pick's performance against Miami, though.

"I know he had the one false start, but the really encouraging thing, he was playing fast, he was coming off the ball, he was playing physical," O'Connell said, "and some of our best pockets of the day were on some of those play-actions where he was in there. And some of our most physical runs were on plays he was in there.

"I was really happy with the way Caleb stepped in," he added. "We eliminate any of the pre-snap stuff and any confusion that me be there, and that's on me to make sure we do, [and I'm] excited about Caleb."

4. Defense at another level

Minnesota's defense has been playing at an incredibly high level through the first four games.

Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores has had success with his unit since joining O'Connell's coaching staff in 2023, but are there reasons the group seems to be even more effective early this season?

O'Connell said he'll take time over the Week 6 bye to break that down even more with defensive coaches, but he provided a high-level answer Monday.

"I think I've felt the impact of the d-line, the fits of guys and their roles within the defense … it can sometimes look like chaos, but it's an organized symphony of guys making sure [in regards to stopping the run, whether we're pressuring to it, away from it … it feels like we're doing some fundamental things at a really high level," O'Connell said. "Building a wall, defeating blocks, guys defeating double teams, the cutback player being right where they're supposed to be. And then our tackling has been really, really good, which is eliminating some of the leaky yardage that people can get.

"And then Flo's spinning the dial on a lot of different looks," O'Connell continued. "And a lot of those guys have been out there playing together for a long time. Whether it's Harry (Harrison Smith) stepping in for those known passing situations, whether it's Dallas Turner's ascension — I mean, another really impactful day for him yesterday. I think Dallas is in the perfect spot in the defense. I think Gink' (Andrew Van Ginkel) is in the perfect spot. Having [Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman] is so huge, and then you've got I.P. (Ivan Pace, Jr.) who can be an absolute thumper and a problem for people. The corners are playing really well, and obviously the safeties group is always a strength for us."

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