There will be a ton of emotions in the air on Sunday inside Ford Field, and some of these will be from Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson as he prepares to take on the Detroit Lions for the first time since he tore his ACL against them in a Week 16 matchup last season.
On Thursday, Hockenson was asked about how he's feeling heading into the contest, and it doesn't sound like he's about to spend all weekend having flashbacks about when he injured his knee last year.
"Injuries happen in the game and in this league. I've had multiple injuries throughout my career, and you just don't think about them. I've played against many teams that I've against and it's just a new game, it's another game.
...Nothing like really goes in your head. You've gotta just let that kind of stuff go and realize it's football, and it's another game."
Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson could do something vs. the Detroit Lions on Sunday that he hasn't done all season
Hockenson has been back on the field for the Vikings since Week 9, and he's developed into a bit of a safety blanket for Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold during the team's last few games.
In nine appearances this season, the Vikings tight end has hauled in 39 catches for 446 yards, with 74.4 percent of his receptions resulting in a first down for the offense. However, Hockenson has yet to haul in a pass in the end zone this year.
How nice of a story would it be for his first touchdown catch of the season to come on Sunday in a game against the team that not only drafted him in 2019, but also delivered the blow to his knee last year that caused him to miss the first half of this season?
Even without a touchdown reception, Hockenson has still made a big impact for Minnesota since his return, and that should continue this weekend when the Vikings attempt to defeat the Lions and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the first time since 1998.