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Kevin Seifert
MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson was livid Sunday when NFL replay overturned a fourth-quarter touchdown catch that would have closed the Philadelphia Eagles’ lead to two points in Minnesota’s eventual 28-22 loss.
Hockenson said he had “control the whole time” and revealed that two members of referee Bill Vinovich’s crew told him they considered the play a catch and touchdown even after it was overturned.
“There was nothing to overturn it,” Hockenson said. “I mean, I was out there. I felt it, hands under the ball, snag it and I don’t understand. I don’t basically understand the catch rule at this point. … I don’t understand how New York can call in and just be like, ‘Yeah, that’s not a catch,’ when there was no evidence that it wasn’t. I mean I had it. I think it’s ridiculous.”
All scoring plays in the NFL are subject to review. Vinovich’s crew had credited Hockenson with a 15-yard touchdown reception on third-and-2 with 2 minutes, 58 seconds remaining in the game. Initial replays showed that the ball moved to some degree as Hockenson dove to the ground, but the NFL’s standard for replay reversal is to uphold the call unless there is clear and obvious evidence on video that shows a different call should have been made.
In a pool report, vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth said there was.
“The ruling on the field was a touchdown,” Butterworth said, “so it’s replay’s jurisdiction to stop the game. We used broadcast-enhanced shots to show that as he was going to the ground — he needs control of the ball throughout the process of the catch — he lost control of the ball. The ball hit the ground. Then, he regained control of the ball. So therefore, we overturned it to an incomplete pass.”
Had the touchdown been upheld, and had the Vikings converted the extra point, they would have trailed 28-26 with all three of their timeouts remaining. Placekicker Will Reichard had earlier converted a 59-yard field goal, meaning the Vikings would have been in position to win if they had gotten the ball back and moved it near the Eagles’ 40-yard line. The overturn led to a 16.4% swing in win probability for the Vikings, according to ESPN Analytics.
The Vikings had plenty of other opportunities earlier in the game. They finished with only one touchdown in six trips to the red zone while committing two turnovers, including an interception that Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt returned 42 yards for a touchdown.
“It is what it is,” Hockenson said. “Got to move on other plays. … I mean you can’t go one for six [in the red zone] and win a ball game with two turnovers. We had the [opportunity] at the end, obviously. But yeah, tough one.”
