5 of 'Kwesi's Guys' who have been key to the Vikings win streak in 2023

2. TJ Hockenson - TE

About a year ago, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a trade with a division rival as he swapped picks to get tight end T.J. Hockenson from Detroit. Hockenson made an immediate impact for the Vikings and quickly became one of Kirk Cousins's favorite targets, earning himself a contract extension in the process.

That contract extension made him the highest-paid tight end in the league, but early this season, he wasn't performing like it.

Hockenson battled the dropsies early in the season, with one of his biggest coming at the end of the Chargers game, where he let the game-winning score bounce off his multimillion-dollar mitts. Hockenson's start to the season was disappointing, but he turned it on when the team needed him the most.

After Justin Jefferson went down, there was no question that Hockenson was going to have to step up. He did more than that. He has gone on to catch 41 passes for 427 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed how tough he is in his gutsy performance last week against the Saints when he was the team's leading receiver while playing through severely bruised ribs.

Hockenson has been great since arriving in Minnesota. It was a shrewd move to trade with a division rival and bring him over but is one that is paying dividends and keeping the team firmly in the NFC playoff picture.