Vikings' T.J. Hockenson dominates, upending plans to limit his playing time

There were a couple of moments during Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson's historic first half in Sunday's 27-19 win against the Saints in which he struggled to peel himself off the turf at U.S. Bank Stadium and get back into the huddle.

Hockenson entered the game questionable to play because of a painful rib injury suffered in last week's win in Atlanta. Coaches had plans to limit his workload. He instead became the first NFL tight end with at least 10 catches, 125 receiving yards and a score in one half.

"As much as it hurt," said Hockenson, who had 128 yards at halftime, "you just want to go back in and show them that at 80 percent, you can still do this, you know?"

The Vikings offense weathered more injuries. Receiver K.J. Osborn did not play because of a concussion sustained in Atlanta. He cleared the concussion protocol but didn't attend the game as he recovers. Running back Alexander Mattison suffered a concussion in the third quarter and did not return.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said coaches intended to limit Hockenson by shifting more playing time to tight ends Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt.

"But T.J. wanted to be out there for everything, and he was out there," O'Connell said, "Made some big blocks in the run game and just all the way around, T.J. was phenomenal."

Hockenson and the Vikings offense cooled after halftime. He finished with 11 grabs for a season-high 134 yards and a score.

"I kind of blacked out," Hockenson said. "It was one of those things where you're just playing, you're focused on every play. The ball keeps coming to you, and I was kind of reading the defenses real well and just feeling it a little bit."

The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr to a shoulder injury and concussion halfway through the third quarter and cornerback Marshon Lattimore to an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

Vikings coaches installed designed runs for quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who gained 11 yards on a third-down keeper against the Saints. He also slipped on a designed run that failed to convert in the fourth quarter. Center Garrett Bradbury said he looked up at the scoreboard and saw Dobbs was clocked at 20 miles per hour in one of his eight carries for 44 rushing yards and a score.

"He wanted to pull a few last week against Atlanta, but once Cam [Akers] went down, we had zero emergency quarterbacks," Bradbury said. "It's just something the defense has to think about. It'll help our run game tremendously."

The Vikings allowed just one sack on Dobbs, which Bradbury also credited to the quarterback's mobility.

"It kind of changed their third-down pass rush," Bradbury said. "Once Josh broke a few runs, they kind of had to go to more of a spy look, so they weren't bringing as much heat other than the one sack where they brought everyone. It kind of slows the pass rush down."

Second-year running back Ty Chandler had 14 NFL carries entering Sunday's game. He walked out with a career-high 15 attempts for 45 rushing yards and his first NFL touchdown — a wildcat keeper from 2 yards away. Chandler replaced Akers as the No. 2 back entering the game; by the end, he was replacing an injured Mattison.

Chandler is one of the Vikings' fastest players, and he was asked about flashing that speed on some of his runs, including a 29-yard touchdown called back by a holding penalty.

"That's what I try to do," Chandler said. "I make the most of the opportunities every time I get the ball in my hands, and I just want to be able to bring that to the offense."

• Longtime Vikings equipment manager Dennis Ryan, who worked 47 years for the organization before retiring in April, was an honorary captain. He stood at midfield for the pregame coin toss with players, including Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan, whose father, Steve, played for Ryan's Vikings. On Saturday, the team unveiled the Dennis Ryan Equipment Room at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.

• Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores said recently that defensive tackle Harrison Phillips is the coordinator for when to call abrupt presnap shifts in short-yardage situations that are intended to cause the offense to flinch and false start. That's why Phillips was celebrating a Saints false start on a fourth-and-1 play in the third quarter.