By Alec Lewis, Jourdan Rodrigue and Amos Morale III
The Los Angeles Rams are getting back one of their top pass catchers for Week 8, while the Minnesota Vikings will have to wait another week for one of their top weapons.
The Rams activated wide receiver Puka Nacua from injured reserve and is expected to play against Minnesota. Meanwhile, Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson has been downgraded to out for Thursday night’s game. Hockenson is expected to be ready to play in Minnesota’s Week 9 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, though.
The Rams opened the 21-day practice window for Nacua on Tuesday. He’d been on injured reserve since after the Rams’ season opener at Detroit when he re-aggravated a knee injury he suffered during training camp. Last season, he broke a 63-year-old NFL rookie receiving record with 1,486 yards.
The Vikings opened Hockenson’s practice window earlier this month. The tight end, who tore his ACL and MCL in December, began practicing in London ahead of their game against the New York Jets. Last season, Hockenson led the Vikings in targets and receptions (95) and finished second on the team with 960 receiving yards and tied for second with five touchdowns.
Thursday night’s matchup between the teams is set to kick off at 8:15 ET on Amazon’s Prime Video.
Last week without Hockenson
The Vikings are expected to activate Hockenson Friday, and the plan is for him to make his return next Sunday against the Colts. His absence tonight means the Vikings’ offense will have to do what it’s done all season: Generate points without him. The Rams have struggled to stop the run in 2024, so running back Aaron Jones figures to be a focal point of Minnesota’s plan. Los Angeles also uses specific personnel groupings to match offenses, so it’s possible the Vikings use that to their advantage, attempting to align Jones — who is an excellent pass-catcher — out wide.
As for stopping Cooper Kupp and Nacua, defensive coordinator Brian Flores will have his hands full. But that’s nothing new, considering the Vikings are coming off a back-and-forth battle with Ben Johnson’s Lions, which are arguably the most vaunted offense in the NFL. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer
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(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
