Wonderful News for Vikings Was Totally Overshadowed
About two weeks ago, Minnesota Vikings fans, players, and coaches were enjoying a bye week, relishing in a 5-0 start with the NFL’s top point differential.
Wonderful News for Vikings Was Totally Overshadowed
And it was all supposed to get even better, too, as tight end T.J. Hockenson trended to return sometime after the bye.
Thereafter, the Vikings have dropped two games consecutively after the bye, shrinking the once-fancy record to 5-2, causing folks to eerily remember the 2016 campaign when Minnesota started 5-0 and missed the postseason altogether with an 8-8 record,
On top of the two losses, the Vikings lost Christian Darrisaw on Thursday night, ending his 2024 campaign because of a torn ACL and MCL. He will not return in 2024.
So when the Vikings announced Hockenson’s activation and subsequent return date, the masses mostly shrugged. His return is apparently not enough of an elixir to the last two losses, even if he’s an offensive focal point when healthy.
Vikings.com’s Craig Peters wrote on Friday, “The Vikings on Friday activated tight end T.J. Hockenson from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list to the 53-man roster. The roster move occurred as Hockenson’s 21-day window was set to expire. It was accompanied by Minnesota placing left tackle Christian Darrisaw on season-ending Injured Reserve.”
“Hockenson has spent 10 months and a day recovering from a torn ACL he suffered against Detroit on Dec. 24, 2023. He is expected to return to action in Week 9 (Nov. 3) when Minnesota (5-2) hosts Indianapolis on Sunday Night Football. The Colts are 4-3 heading into their game at Houston (5-2) this Sunday,” Peters added.
This means Hockenson will be in the lineup on Sunday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts. If Vikings fans can put the doldrums of Darrisaw’s injury to the side, Hockenson’s return can be considered vital as it is crucial. When opposing defenses sell out to stop Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison — the Detroit Lions admitted that was their gameplan in Week 7 — Hockenson will be waiting in the middle of the field.
The veteran tight end generally commands about eight or nine aerial targets per game, which is quite the tweak to an offense that played mostly decent through eight weeks. Hockenson is not an ornamental WR4 type returning for vibes. He’s a centerpiece.
So, while Darrisaw’s injury is wildly depressing, Hockenson’s 2024 debut should moderately balance the scale.
The Vikings are early seven-point favorites to defeat the Colts this weekend.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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