WARE, England — Not even a beautiful backdrop in the English countryside could hide how ugly it’s gotten for the Vikings on the offensive line.

The injuries have continued to pile up in the trenches, destroying what was supposed to be a strength for the Vikings this season, while forcing head coach Kevin O’Connell to work through new combinations, seemingly, on a daily basis.

The scene from practice on Wednesday afternoon at Hanbury Manor in Ware, England, helped illustrate how bleak it’s gotten.

You had reserve center Blake Brandel snapping the ball to veteran quarterback Carson Wentz because starting center Ryan Kelly (concussion) and backup center Michael Jurgens (hamstring) missed practice. Meanwhile, star left tackle Christian Darrisaw (rest), rookie left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist), and veteran right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee) also missed practice, meaning right guard Will Fries was the only player from the projected starting offensive line that actually participated.

Asked about the offensive line as a whole, with the Vikings preparing to play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, O’Connell replied, “We’re working through what that group is going to look like and ultimately where we think we’re at as far as the best collection we can put out there.”

The hope from within the Vikings is that they can at least get Jurgens back at some point this week. If he isn’t cleared to participate in practice, however, Brandel would more than likely get the start in the game.

That would set off a chain reaction that could potentially put rookie left guard Joe Huber in position to make his NFL debut on an offensive line that is also more than likely going to feature backup right tackle Justin Skule.

Not ideal for the Vikings considering the Browns might have the best defensive front in the NFL, led by superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett.

“He’s as unique of a player that we have in the league as far as his every down impact,” O’Connell said before cracking a joke. “Just hope they don’t split him out at X receiver and try to throw him fades.”

The rest of the defensive line seems to feed off the energy Garrett brings to the table snap in and snap out.

“Everything about what they do is forward,” O’Connell said. “They’re trying to win the line of scrimmage from the split second of that ball getting snapped.”

That could spell trouble for the Vikings considering they’ve allowed a league high 18 sacks so far this season. The struggles coincide with the fact that there has been so much shuffling on the offensive line to this point.

“I will never ever question their effort,” Wentz said. “That’s something that’s been constant no matter who’s in there.”

As for Brandel, he’s capable of playing ever position on the offensive line, which is why the Vikings have prioritized keeping him around.

“I try to bring some versatility,” Brandel said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win.”

Though there will probably be some growing pains with so many new faces up front, Wentz is confident in the offensive line and its ability to hold up, regardless of who’s missing from the usual operation.

“The guys are locked in and want to do the best they can,” Wentz said. “We’ve got some good guys here who are ready to accept the challenge.”

Briefly

In addition to the various offensive linemen, the Vikings were also without quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle), tight end Ben Yurosek (knee), and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) during practice. The good news is the Vikings got full participation from fullback C.J. Ham (knee) and edge rusher Tyler Batty (knee) as they work their way back from injured reserve.

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By TIM SULLIVAN, Associated Press

An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was detained twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces.

The class-action lawsuit, filed Tuesday by concrete worker Leo Garcia Venegas with the public interest law firm Institute for Justice, demands an end to what the firm calls “unconstitutional and illegal immigration enforcement tactics.”

Venegas, who was born in the U.S., lives and works in Baldwin County, Alabama, a Gulf Coast area between the cities of Mobile and Pensacola, Florida, that has seen immense population growth in the last 15 years, and which offers plenty of construction work.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after the Supreme Court lifted a judge’s restraining order that had barred immigration agents in Los Angeles from stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location.

The court has repeatedly allowed some of the Trump administrations harshest immigration policies, while also leaving open that legal outcomes could shift as cases play out.

The new lawsuit describes repeated raids on workplaces despite agents having no warrants nor suspicion that specific workers were in the U.S. illegally, and a string of U.S. citizens — many with Latino-sounding names — who were detained.

The Department of Homeland Security “authorizes these armed raids based on the general assumption that certain groups of people in the industry, including Latinos, are likely illegal immigrants,” the suit argues.

In a May raid that swept up Venegas, video shot by a coworker shows him being forced to the ground by immigration agents as he repeatedly insisted he was a U.S. citizen. The lawsuit says the agents targeted workers at the building site who looked Latino, while leaving alone the other workers. Venegas was released after more than an hour, according to the law firm.

Venegas was detained again at another construction site less than a month later.

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“It feels like there is nothing I can do to stop immigration agents from arresting me whenever they want,” Leo said in a statement released by the law firm. “I just want to work in peace. The Constitution protects my ability to do that.”

Venegas, who specializes in laying concrete foundations, says he was detained both times despite showing his Alabama-issued REAL ID driver’s license — a higher-security identity card available only to U.S. citizens and legal residents.

Immigration agents told him the ID card was fake, before eventually releasing him. He was released after about 20-30 minutes.

“Immigration officers are not above the law,” Institute for Justice attorney Jaba Tsitsuashvili said in a statement. “Leo is a hardworking American citizen standing up for everyone’s right to work without being detained merely for the way they look or the job that they do.”

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown that began Wednesday will deprive policymakers and investors of economic data vital to their decision-making at a time of unusual uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy.

The absence will be felt almost immediately, as the government’s monthly jobs report scheduled for release Friday will likely be delayed. A weekly report on the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs that is typically published on Thursdays — will also be postponed.

If the shutdown is short-lived, it won’t be very disruptive. But if the release of economic data is delayed for several weeks or longer, it could pose challenges, particularly for the Federal Reserve. The Fed is grappling with where to set a key interest rate at a time of conflicting signals, with inflation running above its 2% target and hiring nearly ground to a halt, driving the unemployment rate higher in August.

The Fed typically cuts this rate when unemployment rises, but raises it — or at least leaves it unchanged — when inflation is rising too quickly. It’s possible the Fed will have little new federal economic data to analyze by its next meeting on Oct. 28-29, when it is widely expected to reduce its rate again.

“The job market had been a source of real strength in the economy but has been slowing down considerably the past few months,” said Michael Linden, senior policy fellow at the left-leaning Washington Center for Equitable Growth. “It would be very good to know if that slowdown was continuing, accelerating, or reversing.”

The Fed cut its rate by a quarter-point earlier this month and signaled it was likely to do so twice more this year. Fed officials said they would keep a close eye on how inflation and unemployment evolve, but that depends on the data being available.

A key inflation report is scheduled for Oct. 15 and the government’s monthly retail sales report is slated for release the next day.

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“We’re in a meeting-by-meeting situation, and we’re going to be looking at the data,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said during a news conference earlier this month.

On Wall Street, investors obsess over the monthly jobs reports, typically issued the first Friday of every month. It’s a crucial indicator of the economy’s health and provides insights into how the Fed might adjust interest rates, which affects the cost of borrowing and influences how investors allocate their money.

So far, investors don’t seem fazed by the shutdown. The broad S&P 500 stock index rose slightly in midday trading on Wednesday.

Many businesses also rely on government data to gauge how the economy is faring. The Commerce Department’s monthly report on retail sales, for example, is a comprehensive look at the health of U.S. consumers and can influence whether companies make plans to expand or shrink their operations and workforces.

With the government closed, the Fed, economists, and investors will likely focus more on private data.

On Wednesday, the payroll provider ADP issued its monthly employment data, which showed that businesses cut 32,000 jobs in September — a signal the economy is slowing. Still, ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said her firm’s report “was not intended to be a replacement” for government statistics.

The ADP data does not capture what’s happening at government agencies, for example — an area of the economy that could be significantly affected by a lengthy shutdown.

“Using a portfolio of private sector and government data gives you a better chance of capturing a very complicated economy in a complex world,” she said.

To be successful in one of the most stressful positions in sports, goalies are expected to have quick reflexes, superior vision and short memories. For Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt, long stretches of the 2024-25 season are a time he would like to forget. To his credit, he has — after some introspection.

“It was more about thinking through last year. Get through it, analyze it, put it behind and not think about it anymore, then look forward with excitement to the season coming up,” said Wallstedt, who won nine of 27 appearances for the Iowa Wild last season and went 0-2 in two NHL appearances last December. “I feel like head and body are in a really good spot.”

Asked again about last season’s struggles in Iowa, when he posted admittedly disappointing numbers — 3.59 goals-against average, .879 saves percentage — Wallstedt made it clear he had moved on.

“That’s enough about that,” he said.

Wallstedt, who turns 23 in November, was the Wild’s first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2021 NHL draft. He has beaten Winnipeg twice this preseason as he preps for what will most likely be the backup role at the NHL level behind No. 1 goalie Filip Gustavsson.

In the Wild’s preseason home finale on Tuesday, Wallstedt overcame a slow start and finished with 26 saves in a 3-2 win. It included killing a quartet of Winnipeg power plays, one with just 3:15 left in regulation, and a busy final minute when the Jets’ goalie was on the bench for an extra attacker.

All of that had the goalie smiling postgame.

“I felt that our PK was good all game. I felt like we did a good job, and I think we all felt that we were confident on the PK,” Wallstedt said. “You don’t want to (have to) kill that late in a game when you’re up, but I think we knew what we were supposed to do out there.”

Wallstedt was part of a rare three-man goalie room for the first handful of Wild games last season before the team settled on Gustavsson and now-retired veteran Marc-Andre Fleury as the primary tandem. With a fellow Swede as his presumptive understudy this season, Gustavsson predicts a good relationship in the crease.

“It’s a little easier. I speak better Swedish than French,” Gustavsson deadpanned. “So, you can talk a little more on a personal level and stuff like that. Jesper’s a great guy, so it’s easy to deal with him.”

Coach John Hynes likes a goalie tandem that is friendly and respectful but acknowledged it’s not just about getting along.

“I think that there also needs to be a healthy competition,” he said. “That they do push each other from a competitive standpoint for playing time, for starts.”

His first start as a regular member of an NHL roster is still to come, but Wallstedt came to Minnesota feeling lighter, faster and more explosive. He also feels confident and can look back on a wealth of success in September as he looks to translate that game to October and beyond.

“I feel very ready. I think I’ve had a great preseason every year I’ve been here,” he said. “I think I’ve still won every game I’ve started during the preseason. So, now it’s just about converting that into when the season starts. I feel very confident. I feel like I’ve matured a little bit. I feel like my game is in a great place.”

Even if that place is in the secondary role.

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