include 'anchor.php';{"id":34352,"date":"2025-09-03T09:08:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matchplug.com\/blog\/?p=34352"},"modified":"2025-09-03T09:08:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:08:21","slug":"t-j-hockenson-on-j-j-mccarthy-a-lot-like-stafford-a-little-like-cousins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matchplug.com\/blog\/t-j-hockenson-on-j-j-mccarthy-a-lot-like-stafford-a-little-like-cousins\/","title":{"rendered":"T.J. Hockenson on J.J. McCarthy: \u2018A Lot Like Stafford, a Little Like Cousins\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson<\/a> believes rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy reminds him of a mix of two familiar passers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe is a lot like Matthew Stafford, a little like Kirk Cousins,\u201d Hockenson told the Minnesota Star Tribune<\/em>, drawing comparisons to his former Detroit Lions teammate and the Vikings\u2019 longtime starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hockenson, who missed the first seven games of the 2024 season recovering from a knee injury, admitted it took time to feel like himself again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 10 games, Hockenson finished with 41 catches for 455 yards and one touchdown. Now healthy, he\u2019s expected to play a central role in Week 1, with the Vikings\u2019 receiver group already thin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justin Jefferson is nursing a hamstring strain, Jordan Addison begins the year suspended, Rondale Moore is out for the season, and Jalen Nailor<\/a> is sidelined with a hand injury. The team also re-signed veteran Adam Thielen on the eve of the opener.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson believes rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy reminds him of a mix of two familiar passers. \u201cHe is a lot like Matthew Stafford, a little like Kirk Cousins,\u201d Hockenson told the Minnesota Star Tribune, drawing comparisons to his former Detroit Lions teammate and the Vikings\u2019 longtime starter. Hockenson, who missed the first seven games of the 2024 season recovering from a knee injury, admitted it took time to feel like himself again. In 10 games, Hockenson finished with 41 catches for 455 yards and one touchdown. Now healthy, he\u2019s expected to play a central role in Week 1, with the Vikings\u2019 receiver group already thin. Justin Jefferson is nursing a hamstring strain, Jordan Addison begins the year suspended, Rondale Moore is out for the season, and Jalen Nailor is sidelined with a hand injury. The team also re-signed veteran Adam Thielen on the eve of the opener.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":34411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[220,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-sport-football-news","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nT.J. Hockenson on J.J. McCarthy: \u2018A Lot Like Stafford, a Little Like Cousins\u2019 - Matchplug Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson believes rookie quarterback J.J. 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