The Minnesota Vikings aim for back-to-back wins when they visit the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. Nonetheless, Minnesota received some positive news after a concerning start to practice week.
T.J. Hockenson and Christian Darrisaw didn’t practice with the Vikings on December 10, as the team announced its injury report for that day.
Hockenson was sidelined with a shin injury, while Darrisaw, who returned to the offensive line in Week 14 against the Washington Commanders, missed practice due to a knee issue.
Nonetheless, the team announced on December 11 that both players had participated in limited practice, which is a promising sign. Moreover, Hockenson spoke with the media to provide an update on his shin injury.
“It’s all good,” Hockenson told reporters on December 11. “We were running around today, checking out how it feels, felt pretty solid. Doing my routes, doing everything. I hit somebody on their knee with my shin, so it was a little bone bruise, but I’m not too worried about it, so we’ll be all right.”
Jordan Addison was one player who had a limited practice on December 10 due to an Achilles issue. Furthermore, the Vikings’ wide receiver was again limited for a second straight day, so his progress heading into the Cowboys game will be worth monitoring.
What to Expect From the Cowboys’ Defense
Aaron Jones Sr. also showed up on the injury report, participating in only a limited capacity for the second straight practice. Despite the setback, he spoke with the media on December 10, offering his thoughts on what to expect from the Cowboys’ defense.
“They’re a fast [and] physical defense,” Jones told reporters on December 10. “They’re flying around, they have pieces at every level on their defense, and they’re playing hungry. So we got to exceed that.”
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Looks to Replicate Successful Performance
J.J. McCarthy participated fully in practice on December 10 and 11 as he aims to build on his showing against the Commanders.
Returning from a concussion, he completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns while protecting the ball. The numbers aren’t flashy, but they represent a significant step forward. The key now is whether he can string together more games like this.
Before the Cowboys game, former NFL player Kurt Warner shared what he hopes to see from the second-year quarterback over the final four games, emphasizing that, playoff spot or not, this is a chance to prove he can be the team’s No. 1 option.
“I think you want to continue to see steady growth,” Warner said on the latest “One on One” published on December 10. “The biggest thing is that you want to try to use these last four games to build into next year. And, you know, that doesn’t mean you’re giving up on this year and you’re not saying, ‘Hey, let’s try to win them all and see if we can get in the playoffs.’
“But the idea is simply, let’s keep getting better. Let’s keep building. Let’s go into the offseason with everybody feeling really good about where we’re at, or in this specific case, let’s get everybody feeling really good about the quarterback that’s in our room and what he can be for us…
“We want him going into the offseason feeling really good that we’re putting him in a position to play his best football and to help us win. And so that, to me, is kind of the underlying thing that you’re trying to accomplish in these last four games: play good football, be competitive.”
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