Vicious Soreness Word Makes Comeback for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings experienced some injuries before the season kicked off, but no injury news was more devastating for the organization than J.J. McCarthy requiring knee surgery, repairing a torn meniscus suffered in his first preseason contest versus the Las Vegas Raiders. He reported knee soreness just one day after the game, and the subsequent evaluations revealed the extent of the injury.
Vicious Soreness Word Makes Comeback for Vikings
On Monday, the buzzword “soreness” returned to TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota. Wideout Jordan Addison left the Week 1 matchup against the New York Giants after a strong beginning. His ankle got rolled up and ultimately forced him to sit out the remainder of the game.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell updated reporters about Addison’s status one day after the game:
I wanted to give you guys an update. Jordan Addison, he’s got pretty significant soreness, getting some treatment today and we’ll kind of see how it goes. He’s responded in the past pretty quickly with a similar injury so we’ll just see. I try to keep you guys updated based upon the week but still hopeful that Jordan will have a chance this week but we’ll be smart with him, knowing it’s a long season and how important he is to our offense.
The good news is that this time, it doesn’t seem like a severe injury, but Addison might miss a game or two, regardless.
Addison played 28 snaps on Sunday and caught three passes for 35 yards. He is the primary receiver whenever a defense is taking Justin Jefferson out of the equation by sending numerous players at him.
That’s Addison’s job; that’s why the Vikings acquired him in the first round of the 2023 draft. The sophomore hasn’t missed a game in his short career, playing all 17 contests in his debut season and registering 70 catches for 911 yards and ten touchdowns.
The Vikings are already without target monster T.J. Hockenson, as the tight end is still recovering from his torn ACL suffered in Week 16 of the 2023 season. Without Hockenson, Addison needs to step up and support Jefferson.
The passing attack has seen a major change as the Vikings said goodbye to Kirk Cousins and signed Sam Darnold to take his spot. The veteran had a wonderful first game; certainly, his excellent receivers helped him.
Addison also sprained his ankle ‒ the other ankle ‒ during joint practices with the Cleveland Browns and missed a lot of practice time. The receiver was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was upgraded to full on Friday and entered the game without an injury designation.
O’Connell added that there is no other injury to be reported.
If Addison were forced to sit out Week 2, Brandon Powell and Jalen Nailor would be asked to play a larger role.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Vikings Fans Were Concerned, But the Newcomer Delivered
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt