The sky felt like it was falling in Minnesota a couple of months ago.
Not only had the Vikings suffered losses to the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams in succession, they had also lost star left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
As the Vikings started to put together contingency plans on the offensive line, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a move that might have saved this season. He agreed to a trade that netted the Vikings veteran left tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
All it cost the Vikings was a conditional 2026 draft pick, a small price to pay for a player who had more than 90 starts under his belt.
As he reflected Robinson's ability to step in and play immediately, head coach Kevin O'Connell noted how the Vikings haven't lost a game since he arrived in Minnesota.
"That's a total testament to what he's been able to come in here and do," O'Connell said. "Sometimes when we're game planning, we're not really thinking about the fact that we don't have Christian Darrisaw in there, as great and as special of a player he is, because we were able to find a guy like Cam Robinson."
It's been a seamless transition for Robinson despite the fact that he was drinking from the firehose in the early stages. He started against the Indianapolis Colts without much time to prepare, parlaying that into solid play in the trenches.
"I had to hit the ground running," he said. "Just tried to be a sponge and soak up as much as I could."
All the while Robinson has leaned heavily on left guard Blake Brandel and center Garrett Bradbury for guidance whenever questions have come up in a practice or in a game.
"I can't even put into words how valuable those guys have been for me," Robinson said. "The communication from top to bottom has been incredible."
Not that Robinson has needed too much help. He's operated rather quietly protecting the blindside of veteran quarterback Sam Darnold. Just like the Vikings hoped Robinson would when they acquired him to replace Darrisaw.
"It's been exciting to come here," Robinson said. "It's a new beginning for me."
Though he's clearly feeling pretty comfortable with where he's at right now, Robinson admitted he's still getting used to parts of his new surroundings. Let's just say the temperatures starting to drop have been a rude awakening for a player who had previously spent his whole career in Florida.
"Life in Minnesota is cold," he said with a laugh. "Nah, I've been adjusting fine."
So have the Vikings with him in the lineup.
"I haven't had this feeling about a team in a long time," Robinson said. "It's brought the fun back to the game for me."