TJ Hockenson calls overturned touchdown against Eagles “ridiculous”

TJ Hockenson was not happy with his diving touchdown in the fourth quarter getting overturned by the replay center in New York.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings tight end thought he hauled in a touchdown that would’ve cut the Eagles’ lead to two points. The crowd went nuts, the sideline went nuts, and TJ Hockenson was ready to flex.

Then the refs went under the hood, and everything changed. After review, the call was overturned. No control, no touchdown.

TJ Hockenson calls overturned touchdown against Eagles “ridiculous”

T.J. Hockenson was not happy with his diving touchdown in the fourth quarter getting overturned by the replay center in New York.

"Hands are underneath the ball," he said. "It's ridiculous." pic.twitter.com/9ncvMvu537

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 19, 2025

TJ Hockenson: “I Don’t Understand the Catch Rule at This Point”

Hockenson told reporters after the game that he didn’t understand the catch rule anymore and that he believed it was “ridiculous” that the catch was overturned and ruled an incompletion.

TJ Hockenson says the refs on the field told him he scored a TD

WOW: #Vikings TE TJ Hockenson says the refs on the field told him he scored a TD; but NY went over their head.

“I don’t understand the catch rule at this point. New York can't call in and say that it's not a catch when every other ref out there says it is”pic.twitter.com/4FY39iwtV5

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 20, 2025

“There was nothing to overturn it. 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.”

He also said two members of Bill Vinovich’s crew told him they thought it was a catch and a touchdown, even after it was overturned by New York.

If you look at the second replay angle, it’s pretty clear what the officials saw.

The football touches the ground, his hands separate, and control is lost before he secures it again. By rule, that’s incomplete. Whether it feels fair or not, that’s how the NFL defines a catch. You simply have to have control through the entire process. TJ Hockenson did not.

Tough sledding, brother.

The Bigger Mistake

Even if the Vikings had caught a bad break there, the decision-making afterward didn’t help. Instead of kicking the field goal right away and preserving time, Minnesota burned nearly a full minute trying to force another touchdown.

Then, after the two-minute warning, they kicked the field goal anyway.

That mistake gave the Eagles time to get the ball back and Jalen Hurts immediately hit AJ Brown for a dagger downfield to seal it.

Jalen Hurts posts a perfect 158.3 passer rating and a deep ball masterclass vs. Vikings

So yeah, maybe the overturn was tough, but the real story was the Vikings’ red zone disaster. One-for-six inside the 20 won’t win you many games, especially against the defending champs.

The Eagles survived, the Vikings are left pissed off and searching for answers while TJ Hockenson is trying to figure out what the hell a catch even is in 2025.

Good.

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