Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell.
Hockenson appeared to hurt himself after taking a low hit from Lions safety Kerby Joseph in the third quarter and didn't return to the game.
The Vikings have been hampered by injuries all season. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson missed seven games this season between October and November due to a hamstring injury. Quarterback Kirk Cousins went down for the season with an Achilles injury in late October. Despite the Vikings' unfortunate health luck and a rotating cast of quarterbacks, Hockenson was a standout player all season, leading the team in targets (127), receptions (95) and receiving yards (950) this season.
The news didn't immediately impact the Vikings' odds in their Week 17 matchup with the Packers — they are 1.5-point favorites at home for Sunday Night Football — but it doesn't bode well for their odds to make the NFL playoffs.
The Vikings enter Week 17 with +350 odds to make the playoffs at DraftKings and are tied with the Packers, Falcons and Saints for eighth in the NFC standings, placing them just outside the playoff picture. The Vikings would still need to jump two teams — Rams and Seahawks — to make it into the playoffs, but they'll have to do it without one of their top targets.
