Vikings Rumors: Hockenson’s Return, Bad News Bye Week, and MIN’s Top-10 Schedule
Since we’re officially into the portion of the year when Vikings rumors are ramping up, we’ll be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss when tight end T.J. Hockenson is going to come back, the bye week coming at a bad time, and Minnesota’s difficult schedule not being a hindrance to winning football games.
Vikings Rumors: 10.02.2024
Rumor #1 — T.J. Hockenson is Getting Healthy and Will Play Soon
Well, the first part of the statement — getting healthy — is a well-established fact. For a little while now, the news has been positive for Mr. Hockenson. What does playing soon mean, though?
The TE1 could, in theory, be back for Week 5. When asked about a health update, Kevin O’Connell was evasive: “Yeah, we’re working through that right now based upon the unique aspect of this week and then leading right into the bye week. We’ll have some dialogue.” In other words, the London trip brings a unique dynamic, especially since the bye week is coming up in Week 6.
“Want to give [T.J. Hockenson and Dalton Risner] the ample amount of practice time,” O’Connell explained, “cause it’s one thing to just open a window, but what does that practice look like?”
Last week, Dustin Baker wrote that Hockenson’s return was several weeks away: “But sources tell VikingsTerritory that a more realistic return for Hockenson is around Week 8 when the Vikings travel to Los Angeles for a meeting with the Rams.”
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter weighed-in with a prophecy: “Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson, coming off a major knee injury of his own, also is nearing a return to practice. The most likely return-to-play dates for Hockenson currently are the Thursday night, Oct 24 game in Los Angeles, or the following week’s home game against the Colts.”
So, the tight end is coming back soon, but Week 5 looks ambitious.
Rumor #2 — The Vikings’ Bye Week is Coming at a Bad Time
Right now, the Vikings are sitting at 4-0. Remaining flawless across the pond will mean being at 5-0 in mere days. Any chance Minnesota would prefer to keep playing rather than take a break?
Yes, they’ve been a bit dinged up, but slowly Minnesota is getting back to full health. Edge rusher Dallas Turner and wide receiver Jordan Addison were a go for Green Bay. Ivan Pace got held out but O’Connell’s aforementioned press conference suggested that he was close to returning. Plus, there’s the Dalton Risner and Hockenson possibility being right around the corner.
Even still, more than a few Vikings fans — let alone the Vikings themselves — would like to keep the good times rolling.
The doom-and-gloom Vikings faithful have been pointing back to 2016. That version of the Vikings began the year with a 5-0 record before heading into a Week 6 bye (coincidentally, the Texans, Giants, and Packers were in that the initial slate of wins). After the bye, there were four-straight losses and then an 8-8 record overall.
For some, there’s a sense that the bye week isn’t timed perfectly. The onus shifts to Minnesota’s coaches and team captains to ensure that a week off with plenty of praise doesn’t prompt them to take their foot off the gas.
Rumor #3 — Minnesota Has Been Winning Even Though Their Schedule is Among the League’s Toughest
That’s the word from Aaron Schatz.
The word from the man himself: “Based on current DVOA (so just performance over the first four games), the Vikings are 4-0 despite playing a Top 10 schedule!” Translation: the Vikings have played a tough schedule and have been still emerging victorious. So, impressive stuff.
Coming into the season, I would have said that going 3-2 across the opening five weeks would be a massive success. The team could then hit the reset button and try to go on a bit of a run. Finishing, at worst, at 4-1 prior to the bye means Minnesota is being rightly recognized as one of the league’s top teams.
Yes, the Giants aren’t anyone’s idea of a successful football team, but the 49ers, Texans, and Packers are all playoff teams from last season with ample talent. Acing the test against those three teams is mighty impressive.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.