The Vikings didn't want to imagine life without linebacker Anthony Barr during the offseason dash to lock him down with a five-year contract extension. It wasn't so bad Sunday — at least for one game — during the Vikings' 34-14 win against the Raiders, due to stellar play from linebackers Eric Kendricks and Eric Wilson, who started for Barr.
"They played a great game," said Barr, who was sideline because of a groin injury. "Proud of them; love the way they played."
Wilson, making his sixth start in the last 11 Vikings games, led all defenders with 11 combined tackles, including two sacks. Kendricks was a one-man wrecking ball against Raiders running back Josh Jacobs with an impressive five stops — or tackles on gains of three yards or fewer.
"That was a lot of fun," Kendricks said. "The mentality was to be physical with the running back today. We know they had a strong run game, strong offensive line so we took that mentality and we applied it."
Barr, listed questionable, was close to playing despite a groin injury suffered during Wednesday's practice. He tested the injury during a pregame warmup at U.S. Bank Stadium, but opted to rest instead of risking reaggravation. Barr will be "good to go" for next Sunday in Chicago.
"I thought I had a good chance," Barr said. "I knew [the injury] was still a thing, so I didn't want to go out there and make it worse and turn one week into three or four. Had to be smart about it. I should be good to go for next week."
Wilson's versatility has given the Vikings defense reliable depth. The third-year linebacker stepped in seamlessly for Barr on the strong side, a week after starting for Ben Gedeon on the weak side in Green Bay.
Wilson credited the bonds within the Vikings locker room.
"We're a family. Everything we do, we do together," Wilson said. "We talk a lot, not only on the field but off the field. We're always going to be up front with one another. With that, I think we play well regardless of who's in."
Victory didn't come without hiccups. Kendricks wore the in-helmet radio for Barr, who consoled his teammates on the sideline as they worked through communication issues when the headset stopped working momentarily in the second quarter. Coach Mike Zimmer called it "a little bit of a struggle."
The headset outage contributed to a couple Raiders first downs, according to Kendricks, who said they ironed out the problems on the sideline.
"Sometimes on the sideline everybody is yelling back and forth trying to get on the same page," Barr said. "Just letting everybody know relax, we're playing good defense right now. Let's not kill each other. Let's go out and beat the other team."
