Vikings initial injury report looks bleak but there is a light at the end of the tunnel

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon and might have to do it without multiple starters.

• ILB Blake Cashman (toe): Did not practice
• CB Akayleb Evans (hip): Did not practice
• OLB Pat Jones II (shoulder): Did not practice
• RB Aaron Jones (hamstring): Did not practice
• DT Harrison Phillips (shoulder): Did not practice
• TE T.J .Hockenson (knee): Limited
• OG Dalton Risner (back): Limited
• S Theo Jackson (hand): Full
• TE Josh Oliver (wrist): Full

There is a lot to unpack with this injury report. Reports surfaced earlier on Wednesday that Cashman would likely miss Sunday's game against the Lions while potentially also missing next Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Rams. Head coach Kevin O'Connell addressed it during is Wednesday press conference and called him "kind of day-to-day, week-to-week.

"Want to give you guys an update on just Blake Cashman. He's dealing with a little turf toe that came up in the London game. I thought it was a little bit just sore leaving, leaving London went through the bye week and we've kind of established that that's what it is. He'll be really kind of day-to-day, week-to-week, as he deals with that. We really don't know yet, but don't think it will be a long-term injury with IR or anything involved in that. We'll just hopefully have him work through it and get back on the field as soon as possible."

Hockenson is also going to be an interesting one to watch. He was limited on Wednesday and could theoretically play on Sunday , but he will have to show O'Connell he's not just healthy, but football ready.

"I don't think so. I think we're just going to let T.J. get some good work in this week and see where he's at and got a lot of football left. So we want to make sure he's done everything from the standpoint of what we've asked him to do, from his rehab, he's in a great spot. I mean, he's moving around great, but he's got to get acclimated back into football a little bit. And we asked him to do a lot in our offense, and we want him to feel like he's working his way towards doing that, because we know there's a lot of football ahead. He's going to be a huge part of it that we have not had with us through these first five games or whatever."

Jones spoke to reporters after practice and gave some clarification on his injury.

Some other tidbits:

• Evans suffered a hip injury against the New York Jets and him not practicing shouldn't be much of a surprise. While he's played just three defensive snaps, Evans has been a key component to the Vikings' special teams units.
• Jones II and Phillips appearing on the report is new information. We don't know their status and whether or not their absences are worth being concerned about. At the very least, it's worth keeping an eye on.
• Both Jackson and Oliver aren't new to the report but haven't missed any games. They aren't anything to worry about.
• Risner, like Hockenson, was limited and has a chance to play on Sunday. However, the rest of the week will tell us what we need to know.

The Lions also have some concerning pieces on their injury report that will be worth monitoring.

• CB Carlton Davis III (quad): Did not practice
• C Frank Ragnow (rest): Did not practice
• OT Dan Skipper (ribs): Did not practice
• OG Kevin Zeitler (rest): Did not practice
• DB Brian Branch (knee): Limited
• OG Christian Mahogany (illness) Full

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