If the Minnesota Vikings want to repeat their Week 1 win over the Packers, they’re going to have to do it shorthanded. They’ve already ruled out five players for Sunday’s game, including tight end T.J. Hockenson and linebacker Blake Cashman.
Hockenson hasn’t practiced yet this week with a combination of wrist and chest injuries. His absence will deprive the Vikings — and newly acquired quarterback Kirk Cousins — of one of their most productive receivers. Hockenson ranks first on the team with 35 catches
and is second in yards with 328. Though he averages just 9.4 yards per catch, he’d have been a reliable and steady help for Cousins as he settles back into his familiar Minnesota environs.
Cashman, meanwhile, has been in the concussion protocol all week. He leads the Vikings with 76 total tackles and is also a key part of the Vikings’ pressure scheme; his 4.5 sacks are the second most on the team, while his eight tackles for loss are tied for the team lead.
The Vikings also ruled out defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, wide receiver Jauan Jennings, and quarterback Kyler Murray.
Though Murray’s absence is basically immaterial at this point, Ingram-Dawkins and Jennings are noteworthy. Ingram-Dawkins was a significant part of the Vikings’ defensive line rotation, playing just a hair under 58% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps this year.
Jennings was more of a supporting player for the wide receiver-rich Vikings. Behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Jennings had only logged six catches in six games. But Addison also finds himself questionable for Sunday, putting the Vikings in a bit of a wide receiver bind with Jennings already ruled out.
(And not for nothing, Jennings had five catches for 61 yards against the Packers in the 2023 playoffs as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. I just assume that any random role player who ever had a good game against the Packers has their number forever. It seems like it just works out that way.)
In any case, the Vikings won’t be dealing from a full deck when they visit the Packers on Sunday. That’s good news as the Packers try to continue their climb toward the top of the NFC North, especially sincethe Packers’ injury report is anything but short as well.
