Kyler Murray has four full games as the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback, and in one, he had all the skill-position pieces around him. So some ups-and-downs and general kinks can be expected then, and that's what we've seen.
Murray and head coach Kevin O'Connell have said the Vikings' offense is close to fully clicking. While some of the aforementioned leeway is allowed right now, and mistakes happen, tangible progress needs to come in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
The Lions have had a defense that has struggled to begin the year and one of their biggest weaknesses is defending the tight end. After the Green Bay Packers threw six targets for four catches, 48 yards, and a touchdown to Tucker Kraft in last week’s 20-17 loss to Detroit, it’s clear the Vikings could use T.J. Hockenson to help Murray get back on track.
Minnesota Vikings could use T.J. Hockenson to get Kyler Murray going vs. Detroit Lions
Based on Murray's time with the Arizona Cardinals, it was easy to line Hockenson up for a rebound campaign. But as with any part of the passing game, the Vikings' No. 1 tight end's production has been up and down so far this season.
In three of six games, not entirely with Murray at quarterback, Hockenson has a touchdown or over 100 yards, and he could have scored in the 100-yard game too. In the other three contests, he had totaled 47 yards with zero touchdowns. Hockenson also suffered a concussion on his first catch in one of those lackluster games and did not return.
According to Pro Football Focus, Murray leads the NFL with a 93.9 percent completion rate on short throws (0-9 air yards). While proficiency on short throws is expected, not every quarterback excels there.
Also, per PFF, 18 of Hockenson's 27 receptions this season have been on those short throws.
In a broad sense, Week 8 against the Detroit Lions' league-worst pass defense is a nice get-right opportunity for Murray, Justin Jefferson, Hockenson and Jordan Addison. Narrowing further, Detroit has allowed the most receptions (56), yards (602) and touchdowns (10) to opposing tight ends so far this season.
Not everything the Lions allowed against the Packers in Week 7 was to tight ends, but Lions' linebackers Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes have been particular liabilities in coverage this season. To that point, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News noted that Campbell allowed all eight targets to be caught for 78 yards, and Barnes allowed seven catches for 81 yards in last week’s win.
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard also showed no noticeable schematic adjustments to reduce their pass-coverage exposure, and opponents have put a bullseye on Campbell, with the Vikings likely to do the same.
The path to getting Kyler Murray on a better track in Week 8 is absolutely clear
Murray has not yet fully clicked with wide receiver Justin Jefferson, an unfortunate repeat of last season for one of the NFL's best wide receivers. There are multiple layers to that, but one is the attention Jefferson commands in coverage; better days are hopefully coming as teams focus more on Hockenson.
With Detroit’s linebackers struggling against tight ends, that could leave plenty of opportunities for Hockenson and it could create the big plays downfield that have been missing from the Vikings’ passing game.
Hockenson would surely love to finally have a full-fledged revenge game against his former team, coincidentally just shy of three years since he was traded to the Vikings. Also not coincidentally, the best path to getting Murray on a more consistent track during Sunday's game looks to be paved through Hockenson.
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