On his 13th reception of Sunday's Week 4 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson had a wide-open opportunity to score his second touchdown of the season and increase his team's lead by more than 10 points in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Instead, Hockenson passed on the easy score and decided to slide into a Dolphins defender on Miami's own one-yard line. The decision allowed Minnesota to run out the rest of the clock and improve the team's record to 4-0 this season.
Yes, the Vikings probably would have still beat a terrible Miami team if Hockenson just continued right into the end zone. But instead of giving the Dolphins even a whiff of hope, Minnesota's Pro Bowl tight end handed his team a guaranteed win by going down before crossing the goal line.
After Sunday's victory, ESPN's Kevin Seifert shared that Hockenson admitted it was definitely tempting to pass up adding another touchdown to his 2026 totals.
"You got to get down once you get the first down. So it was tough. I saw that goal line and wanted it, but for the betterment of the team, we can end it on offense, and that's the way to go."
T.J. Hockenson did a whole lot more than just seal the win for the Vikings in Week 4
Heading into Sunday, Hockenson only had a total of nine catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in Minnesota's first three games this season. But on Sunday, he put on the type of performance that reminded Vikings fans why the team traded a second-round draft pick to acquire him in 2022.
Against the Dolphins, Hockenson finished with an impressive 13 catches for 119 yards. His 13 receptions tied a single-game career high he set against the New York Giants in 2022, and his 119 receiving yards are the fourth-most he's ever ended a single matchup with.
In the first half of Sunday's win over Miami, Hockenson only had three catches. But in the game's final two quarters, Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray clearly felt comfortable throwing the ball his way, as the duo connected on 10 passes.
Before joining Minnesota earlier this year, Murray had become known for making the tight ends in his offenses some of his favorite targets (just ask Zach Ertz and Trey McBride). On Sunday, the Vikings' quarterback went back to what he felt comfortable with, and it resulted in the team's offense looking the most efficient it has all season with him starting under center.
This doesn't seem like a crazy assumption to make, but if Minnesota's offense is going to make any strides during the next few weeks, the connection between Murray and Hockenson needs to continue to work as well as it did on Sunday against the Dolphins.
Add us as a preferred source on Google