The Minnesota Vikings took the ball first on Sunday in New Orleans against the Saints.
Their very first drive in the Superdome, though, featured an injury that they’d certainly wish didn’t happen to T.J. Hockenson.
The Vikings completed a pass to Hockenson, and he stayed down.
T.J. Hockenson Injury Update
Hockenson hit his head on the Superdome turf on the Vikings’ second offensive play.
He made his way to the blue medical tent initially, but that didn’t last long.
Very quickly, Hockenson and trainers left the tent and made their way to the locker room.
T.J. Hockenson got checked out in the blue medical tent and looks to be headed to the locker room.
— Dane Mizutani (@DaneMizutani) October 11, 2026
The Vikings are already missing WR2 Jordan Addison due to injury, and Justin Jefferson is playing despite entering the day as questionable with an ankle injury.
A loss of Hockenson would be costly.
Update: Hockenson has already been ruled out.
Vikings TE Depth Chart
The Vikings are already without tight end Josh Oliver due to injury.
That means without Hockenson, they have two healthy TEs remaining in Week 5.
Those are the 2025 sixth-round pick Gavin Bartholomew and the veteran Ben Yurosek.
The Vikings do also have a fullback, Max Bredeson, who they drafted in the fifth round this year.
Saints Impact
The Saints can only benefit from this. They’re already being helped by the injuries to the Vikings’ WR group, and now a Hockenson absence is big news on top of that.
New Orleans entered Sunday at 1-3, and a 2-3 record feels a lot different than 1-4.
The Saints are dealing with a reported sickness going through the team, so that’s adversity of their own, but their visitors from Minnesota are dealing with plenty, too.
New Orleans needs to find a way to win on Sunday, and while no one will be hoping for Hockenson to be too injured, if he has to miss time in Week 5, that will help the Saints.
T.J. Hockenson Injury Update Changes Vikings-Saints Game Immediately