Vikings news: T.J. Hockenson window closing, secondary won't catch a break vs. Rams, schedule change

Mere minutes away from remaining the lone unbeaten in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings couldn't quite hang on against the Detroit Lions this past Sunday, ultimately taking a 31-29 loss to drop to 5-1.

As they've done all season, the Vikings jumped out to an early lead, taking a 10-0 advantage in the opening quarter, only to watch the Lions put up 21 straight in the second. Minnesota fought back valiantly, eventually taking a 29-28 lead with just 5:50 remaining after Ivan Pace Jr. returned a fumble 36 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

But with suspect play-calling from Kevin O'Connell down the stretch, a critical missed throw from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson on third down, and Minnesota's inability to make stops defensively, Detroit snatched first place in the NFC North and the top overall seed in the conference on a 44-yard field goal from Jake Bates with just 15 ticks remaining.

But the Vikings didn't get much time to dwell on the loss, as they've got a quick turnaround this week, opening the NFL Week 8 slate against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, a game that should feature the return of a couple of Pro Bowl pass-catchers, which creates both good and bad news for Minnesota.

With T.J. Hockenson's practice window closing, he should be on the field for the Vikings in Week 8

As the 21-day practice window for tight end T.J. Hockenson opened on October 4, the Vikings obviously don't have much time to either activate him from injured reserve or shut him down for the remainder of the season.

With the short week, the Vikings didn't practice on Monday but were still required to submit an injury report, which listed Hockenson, who's been out of action since last December after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee, as a limited participant.

In his Monday press conference, O'Connell stated that "it's very much a possibility" that the two-time Pro Bowler would make his 2024 season debut on Thursday night against the Rams. But even if Hockenson doesn't take a single snap, he must at least be activated. Because, again, if he's not, he's out for the year. That's just how the NFL practice window rules work.

As the 27-year-old has been practicing with the team for weeks, running full drills at times and looking good while doing so, all signs point to him being on the field at SoFi Stadium, which can only help Sam Darnold against a Rams defense allowing 212.7 passing yards per game.

The Minnesota secondary will likely have to deal with Cooper Kupp

Just as Hockenson is likely to suit up for the Vikings, it looks as if Cooper Kupp is ready to return to the Rams.

There was hope that Kupp, who hasn't played since sustaining an ankle injury in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, would be able to go against the Las Vegas Raiders this past Sunday. But he was ultimately ruled inactive following his pregame workout.

Following the Rams' win over the Raiders, however, Sean McVay stated that he fully expected the 2021 receiving Triple Crown winner to return against Minnesota. And seeing that Kupp was a full participant in practice on Monday, it seems that will be the case.

While Hockenson's return is obviously a good thing for the Minnesota offense, Kupp's return isn't great news for the Vikings' defense.

While Minnesota leads all NFL teams with 11 interceptions, Brian Flores' unit has allowed 260.3 passing yards per game, the third-most in the league. The secondary couldn't do much to disrupt Jared Goff's rhythm during Sunday's loss to the Lions, allowing him to complete 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no picks.

And as O'Connell, who spent two seasons as LA's offensive coordinator, including the aforementioned 2021 campaign, well knows, when Kupp and Matthew Stafford get into rhythm, they're hard to stop.

The Vikings' Week 9 matchup against the Colts has been flexed to Sunday night

While the Vikings were scheduled for this Week 8 matchup with the Rams on Thursday Night Football and a Week 15 matchup on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, there were initially no plans to feature Minnesota on Sunday Night Football this season.

But that's no longer the case.

Using one of its two flex options between Weeks 5-10, the NFL has opted to move the Vikings' Week 9 game on November 3 against the Indianapolis Colts from Sunday afternoon to the night slot, meaning kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium is now set for 8:20 p.m. Eastern.

The originally scheduled matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars has been moved to 4:25 p.m. Eastern.

As the league has unlimited flexes from Weeks 11-18, it's possible that Minnesota could get another SNF game down the line. The likeliest candidate, of course, is the Vikings' Week 18 rematch with the Lions, which could very well decide the NFC North.