Vikings: Groin injury may keep Jackson out of action

A subpar performance in the Vikings' overtime loss at Detroit on Sunday isn't going to land Tarvaris Jackson on the bench, but a strained groin suffered in the defeat might.

Coach Brad Childress said Monday that Jackson remains his starting quarterback but admitted he was "beat up pretty good" in the Vikings' 20-17 setback at Ford Field a day earlier. This was evident when Jackson walked gingerly through the Winter Park locker room during the media access period on his way to receive treatment. He did not address reporters.

The injury could mean either Kelly Holcomb or Brooks Bollinger will get the start Sunday at Kansas City. Jackson will continue to receive treatment today -- an off day for players -- and preparation for the Chiefs will begin on Wednesday.

"I see a lot of things happen on a Tuesday; guys are in a push to get to Wednesday," Childress said.

In addition to judging the severity of the injury, another question the Vikings must answer is whether they want to get Jackson right back on the field in front of another hostile road crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, or if they feel the injury would be a good chance for him to take a step back.

Jackson came within one interception of tying the team record Sunday when the Lions picked off four passes. The second-year quarterback did not have a touchdown pass, although he did run for one, and finished with an abysmal 26.4 quarterback rating. He dropped to 1-3 in four career starts.

Despite the numbers, Childress said he doesn't feel he miscalculated Jackson's readiness to be a starter.

"I feel like he is more than ready," Childress said. "It is just a matter of him taking care of the football. I see him make a lot of good plays out there, and I see him see a lot of things and get us into the right place. But that is part of that learning curve, and you can't do those things with the football and put your team in that situation, and he knows that."

Jackson threw an interception in each quarter of regulation, including a hard-to-figure throw in the fourth quarter that landed in the hands of Lions safety Idrees Bashir. While Jackson didn't talk to the media Monday, his teammates remained supportive.

"He's got a good head on his shoulders," center Matt Birk said. "Everybody is going to have games like that. It certainly just wasn't his fault. We've obviously got to protect him a little bit better, so guys can get open better. It's a whole offensive effort."

Added left tackle Bryant McKinnie: "I basically think he's just going to take it as a learning experience -- like we will, for some of the mistakes we made in the game -- and grow and move on from it."

Childress clarified that Jackson actually was injured before he fell to the turf and was replaced by Bollinger after being hit by three Lions on the first offensive play of overtime. Jackson told his coach that he initially felt the strain while sprinting out earlier in the game.

It is unclear who will replace Jackson on Sunday if he is unable to play. Bollinger has been the Vikings' No. 2 quarterback for the first two regular-season games, but his fumble of a Birk snap in overtime Sunday helped to set up the Lions' winning drive. Holcomb was acquired in late August from Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick in 2009 after Bollinger struggled in training camp.

The assumption was Holcomb would become the primary backup, but he admitted before the regular-season opener that he was still learning some of the Vikings' twists to the West Coast offense. Holcomb said Monday that he's now ready, and that could mean he will be under center in Week 3.

"I'm pretty good with everything, plus there's a lot of the same stuff that I learned in Philly that's here," Holcomb said, referring to the elements of the West Coast scheme he learned with Eagles. "So I don't know, there's no speculation, we don't know what's going to happen. Tarvaris, hopefully he's good."

Childress said Holcomb is "right where he needs to be" but refused to say the veteran would move ahead of Bollinger on the depth chart.

"I am not even going to vent an opinion on that right now," Childress said. "I am just kind of going day-to-day with the guy that is there."

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com