Vikings' Hockenson tears ACL and MCL, Wonnum tears quad and Addison is day-to-day
MINNEAPOLIS — As if Sunday's one score Vikings loss — the team's eighth of the season after going 11-0 in such contests a season ago — wasn't enough, head coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed Tuesday afternoon that tight end T.J. Hockenson tore both his ACL and MCL in the game.
Lions' safety Kerby Joseph hit him with his helmet to the knee after the Vikings' tight end made a catch in the middle of the field.
"Very, very unfortunate play," O'Connell said. "We've done a nice job helping take out some of those head and neck area hits to the defenseless players. Some of those low hits can be incredibly catastrophic for guys. It was awful to see that happen."
Hockenson is third in the NFL in yards for a tight end and leads the league in targets at the position. He has played through multiple injuries this season, but this one will end his year.
"T.J. has been incredibly tough dealing with some things throughout the year... I just absolutely love T.J., love what he is to our organization, love his toughness," O'Connell said.
It is unknown if he will be ready for the start of the 2024 season.
Edge rusher D.J. Wonnum — who is second on the team with eight sacks, was also hurt in the game. He suffered a torn quad, O'Connell said, and is also out for the year.
Wonnum is in his last year under contract with the Vikings. A fourth-round pick from South Carolina in 2020, it's possible he might have played his last game for the team.
He went down in the fourth quarter while rushing to get to Lions' quarterback Jared Goff.
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Rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury. He is day-to-day and questionable for Sunday night's game against the Green Bay Packers.
Cornerback Mehki Blackmon also exited the game with a left shoulder injury. He is also questionable for the game and day-to-day.
The Vikings were already without top corner Byron Murphy Jr., who missed his first game of the season with a knee injury.
Their cornerback play has been an issue all season. Akalyeb Evans — the team's fourth round pick in 2022 — was pulled from the game for his on field play. Andrew Booth Jr. replaced him, the team's second round pick in 2022.
The Vikings have tried to address their lack of cornerback depth through the draft and free agency in past seasons.
But Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's regime since taking the reigns in 2022 has not had much success building up the team's secondary.
The futures for Booth and Evans are up in the air. Neither have shown enough progress to be deemed a core part of the team's future at the moment.
Blackmon has had an up-and-down rookie season — but it's far too early to make a long-term prognosis.
Safety Lewis Cine, the team's 2022 first-round pick, has been scratched eight games this season, and 2023 fourth-round pick Jay Ward has not played very much.
It is worth noting that the three safety packages the Vikings have deployed under coordinator Brian Flores throughout the season — with Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, and Josh Metellus leading the way — have been exceptional. All three were with the Vikings prior to Adofo-Mensah taking over.
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Right tackle Brian O'Neill missed Sunday's game with an ankle injury. He is questionable for Sunday's game.
