Injuries will be the narrative that defines the 2023 Minnesota Vikings season. During his press conference on Tuesday afternoon, head coach Kevin O’Connell told the media that tight end T.J. Hockenson suffered season-ending torn ACL and MCL injuries to his right knee.

Hockenson will join OLB D.J. Wonnum on injured reserve with a torn quad muscle as both players suffered the injuries in the second half against the Detroit Lions.

This is a brutal blow, not just for the rest of 2023, but also the 2024 season. The standard recovery time is nine months and if Hockenson has surgery on the ligaments this week, that would put him on a timeline to be potentially ready in week four of the 2024 season.

Due to the nature of major knee injuries, it’s likely that Hockenson will miss more time than that. The physically unable to perform list is very plausible, and that could lead to missing half or more of the season.