The Minnesota Vikings have suffered major upset to their lineup, as it has been revealed that their tight end T.J. Hockenson and linebacker D.J. Wonnum will miss out the rest of the entire season due to the recent injuries.
T.J. Hockenson suffered tears in his right knee ACL and MCL
Coach Kevin O’Connell revealed that Hockenson has both his ACL and MCL ligaments ruptured in his right knee during the Vikings’ 24-30 defeat at the hands of Detroit Lions on Sunday.
To clarify, Hockenson tore both of those ligaments.
"Awful to see that happen," O'Connell said. https://t.co/lClSV0k3Hz
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) December 26, 2023
“Knowing T.J., the type of player he is, I’m absolutely looking forward to when we can get him back rolling and ready to have a great 2024 season,” O’Connell was quoted by ESPN regarding the injury.
Hockenson suffered the tear during the second offensive play of the Vikings in the third quarter of the match. Attempting to receive a 24-yard pass, Hockenson made a leap before getting hit in the knee during a collision with Lions safety Kerby Joseph, and immediately limped back to the sidelines. He will be undergoing surgery.
“It was a very, very unfortunate play,” the coach added. “We’ve done a nice job [in the NFL] of helping take out some of those head and neck area hits to the defenseless players, [but] some of those low hits can be incredibly catastrophic for guys. It was awful to see that happen.”
Its an unfortunate incident, not only for the Vikings but also for Hockenson himself. The 26-year-old Iowa graduate, who arrived in Minnesota last year from the Lions, clocked 95 catches (second in the table) as well as 960 receiving yards (third), in the absence of quarterback Kirk Cousins and receiver Justin Jefferson.
D.J. Wonnum tore his left quad, to undergo surgery as well
Aside from Hockenson, the Vikings will also be missing linebacker D.J. Wonnum for the rest of the reason. Wonnum, who clocked eight sacks this season so far, equalling his career highest, suffered a torn left quadriceps during Sunday’s game and will also undergo surgery.
O’Connell added that Wonnum is in the ER and will also be missing out on the rest of the season.
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