Heading into Week 5 of the NFL season, only two undefeated teams remain: Kansas City, which has won back-to-back Super Bowls, and Minnesota.
Just like we all predicted.
The Vikings have picked up wins over the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers. The most impressive thing about Minnesota's run is that it hasn't been at full strength. The Vikings were missing Jordan Addison for two games and haven't had tight end T.J. Hockenson all season.
Hockenson tore his ACL in Week 16 last year against the Detroit Lions. It was a revenge game for the tight end, and with the timing of when it happened, the expectation was that it would delay the start of his 2024 campaign. Hockenson was added to the reserve/PUP list at the end of the preseason, which sidelined him for the first four games of the regular season.
Hockenson is now eligible to be activated off injured reserve. Will he play in Week 5 against the New York Jets?
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Is T.J. Hockenson playing in Week 5 vs. Jets?
Hockenson has yet to be activated off of IR.
There are nuances when it comes to being activated. Players can return to practice and be listed as questionable but stay on IR until the day before the game.
Minnesota, though, is playing New York in the second international game of the season. The Vikings aren't leaving anything up to the imagination and have already ruled out Hockenson for Week 5 against the Jets.
Minnesota will be on bye in Week 6 and will next play Detroit at home in Week 7.
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Is T.J. Hockenson injured?
Hockenson is still recovering from the torn ACL and MCL he suffered at the tail end of the 2023 season. His knee is healed and the tight end was able to return to practice this week.
Players on injured reserve are typically not allowed to practice, but they can once a team opens their practice window. The fact that he was able to return to practice this week is a great sign that he will be able to return after Minnesota's Week 6 bye — and ironically face the Lions again.
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What is a practice window?
When players are on injured reserve, they aren't allowed to practice. They can only return to practice when their "21-day practice window" has been opened. This means that the player in question has 21 days to be added to the active roster.
If they suffer a setback and are not able to be added back to the active roster, they will go back to injured reserve and it will be a season-ending move.
