Jeremiah Sirles has a heavy heart, but he is ready to take over for his close friend.

Late in the first quarter of Saturday night’s 16-0 victory over Green Bay at Lambeau Field, Vikings left guard Nick Easton suffered a fractured ankle. He is out for the rest of the season.

Sirles replaced Easton for the remainder of the game in Green Bay, and he will take over that spot for Sunday’s regular-season finale against Chicago and presumably for the playoffs.

“I feel terrible for the guy, I really do,” Sirles said. “Nick’s one of my good buddies on the team. He’s my roommate on the road. … He’s just a worker. Me and him are very similar in the fact that we work really hard. I feel terrible for the guy, but I hope he can recover and continue to have a great career.”

Sirles is Minnesota’s most versatile offensive lineman. He can play both tackle and guard spots.

“I think it’s jack of all trades, average at all, master at none,” Sirles said. “Hopefully, now I can zero in on one (position), really focus in and put all my effort and put my whole sole purpose in life to be the best left guard I can for the Vikings.”

With left tackle Riley Reiff returning Saturday after missing one game with a sprained ankle, the Vikings had their starting offensive line intact for the first time since their Oct. 9 game at Chicago. But that lineup didn’t last a quarter before Easton went down.

“This is the first game we’ve been together since (Oct. 9), so we were excited to have everybody back,” right guard Joe Berger said. “Unfortunately, we lost Nick pretty early in the game. It’s just kind of part of the deal, so Sirles will step up and we’ll be in good shape.”

Coach Mike Zimmer said it’s fortunate the Vikings have such a versatile lineman in Sirles.

“Jeremiah, he’s a battler,” Zimmer said. “He’s aching sometimes and he goes in there and fights and he figures out a way to get it done. I’m glad we have him because he’s obviously got versatility. He plays everywhere.”

Sirles has started three games this season at left guard — two when Easton missed three games with a calf injury and another when center Pat Elflein was out and Easton took his spot at center.

Sirles started 10 games last season, nine at right tackle and one at left guard.

“I’ll do whatever they ask me,” he said. “I know there probably were some things I’ve got to clean up on (from Saturday’s game in Green Bay) … I’ll continue to go forward now and left guard’s now my home for the remainder of the season. I’ll be able to focus on that and continue to get better there.”

Easton started the final five games at center last season before moving to left guard this year. Zimmer was impressed with how he handled the transition.

“Nick did a really good job,” Zimmer said. “He’s a tough kid, smart, very competitive. We’ll miss him. He’s very, very athletic. But I thought he played well, really all year long. He had to learn the guard position because we moved him from center to guard early on. I thought he really got better and better.”