NFL

Why isn’t T.J. Hockenson playing for the Vikings against the Jets in London? NFL Week 5 injury status

Undefeated and apparently unaffected by injuries, the Vikings take on the Jets in London with essentially a clean bill of health, except for their tight end.

Aaron Rodgers and Co. will have their hands full when they face the Vikings across the pond. Indeed, the men in purple have proven themselves to be a threat this season and that’s in no small part due to the health of the roster.

T.J. Hockenson is out

There was a glint of hope on Friday when the Minnesota Vikings (4-0) returned tight end T.J. Hockenson to practice, however, it was quickly snuffed out after the team officially ruled him out of Week 5′s game against the New York Jets (2-2) on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

To be fair, Hockenson’s omission wasn’t entirely surprising as Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell had stated on Friday that the team plans to open Hockenson’s 21-day evaluation window following his return from a torn ACL which he suffered back on December 24th, 2023. To that end, Hockenson will appear on the injury report throughout the evaluation window and will receive a game designation. It’s understood that the 27-year-old was able to participate in training on Friday but was limited.

As for the rest of the team, while there were a handful of others on this week’s injury report, none of them received a game designation. Those in question were tight end Josh Oliver (wrist), receiver Brandon Powell (chest), linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr. (ankle), cornerback Akayleb Evans (illness), and quarterback Sam Darnold (knee), all of whom are now expected to be available.

It’s worth noting that Harrison Smith and Stephon Gilmore were added Friday as not participating because of rest. The Vikings will be playing in their fourth regular-season game in London with the hope of taking their International Series record to 4-0. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. local time or 9:30 a.m. ET. Don’t miss it!

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