The Vikings had just finished practicing on Friday, Nov. 10, when tight end T.J. Hockenson arrived at his locker and began unwrapping the pad that was protecting the two ribs he had injured five days earlier in Atlanta.
He winced while making eye contact with a reporter, who asked if he was OK, as if any NFL player is truly OK nine games into a season.
"It's part of the deal," said Hockenson.
Indeed, it is. Here is a snapshot of what it takes to get the human body from one NFL game to the next:
The Vikings trailed Atlanta 21-13 and were facing third-and-8 from the Falcons' 38 with 4:10 left in the third quarter when Joshua Dobbs rolled right and threw 8 yards to Hockenson, whose right rib cage was instantly crushed by the helmet of a 6-1, 202-pound missile named Jeff Okudah.