Analysis: T.J. Hockenson rips replay officials after overturned TD caps the Vikings’ red-zone woes

The NFL’s 15-minute cooling off period after games wasn’t nearly long enough to extinguish T.J. Hockenson’s anger toward NFL replay officials in New York for overturning the call of a touchdown on what the Vikings tight end still swears was a diving 15-yard catch in the closing minutes of Sunday’s 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“I had control the whole time; my hands were underneath it,” Hockenson said. “I don’t quite understand how the refs on the field, even after New York overturns it, the refs on the field are saying it’s a catch, but New York overturns it.”

All scoring plays are reviewed in New York. Hockenson said two officials at U.S. Bank Stadium told him even after New York’s ruling that they had it as a touchdown.

But, alas, it was nothing more than yet another red-zone negative that prevented the Vikings from making it a one-point game with 2:58 left, contributed to a maddening 1-for-6 flopfest inside the Eagles 20-yard line and ultimately caused the hometown squad to fall to 3-3.

Sorry, but Hockenson’s still not buying that it wasn’t a catch. And he didn’t sound like a guy who cared that he could be fined for vehemently criticizing the officials and the NFL’s entire replay system.

“I don’t understand how New York can just call in and just be like, ‘That’s not a catch’ when there is no evidence that it wasn’t,” Hockenson said. “I think it’s ridiculous. … Can’t buy one, honestly. There are other plays you can go back to, but ridiculous.

“I obviously don’t understand the catch rule at this point.”

“They got to figure it out,” he continued. “New York can’t call in and say it’s not a catch when every other ref out there says it is. That’s all there is to it. It’s just crazy. You can’t have somebody call in who’s not at the game with apparently a different view [than] everyone else has here.”

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell stayed above the fray when asked whether he got any clarification on the ruling. He said the catch in relation to the ground and control seemed similar to a play earlier in the game in which he lost a challenge on what was ruled a catch by Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

“I did not get any clarity,” O’Connell said. “The main update that I got was incomplete pass.”

In a pool report, NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth said the ball moved before Hockenson completed the catch.

“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," Butterworth said. “The ball hit the ground. Then, he regained control of the ball.”

Moving on, the Vikings did plenty all by themselves to completely botch this game in the red zone.

The Vikings ran 21 plays inside the Eagles 20-yard line. They netted 9 yards — 9! — and had two first downs, five field goals and one measly touchdown. That included a Will Reichard 59-yard field goal on a first-quarter drive that had first-and-10 at the 19.

“I thought we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times,” quarterback Carson Wentz said.

The Vikings offense has no toes left as it heads to Los Angeles to play the Chargers on Thursday night.

The Vikings did post 387 yards and overcome their 30th-ranked third-down woes by converting 7 of 15 (46.7%).

“[Hunt] kind of surprised me where he ended up,” Wentz said. “Obviously, don’t throw it right to his chest. That would be great.”

Wentz’s other interception can be best described as a punterception that came when he literally threw all caution up for grabs off his back foot on second-and-long.

But the stories of this game were big-play perfection by Jalen Hurts and red-zone disaster by the Vikings.

For starters, Blake Brandel finally played like a third-string center. In the red zone, he …

All three plays led to three points from Reichard rather than touchdowns. But Brandel wasn’t alone.

And Wentz was flagged for intentional grounding on second-and-8 from the 9 in the third quarter to set up a third-and-18 (leading to, yes, a field goal) and was erratic early on. He completed just one of his first six red-zone passes before warming up and finishing 6-for-13.

And even the Great One — Jefferson — was pointing a finger at himself in the red zone. Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean was credited for breaking up a would-be 6-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson. Jefferson disagreed.

“All respect to him, that’s a catch any day of the week,” Jefferson said. “It was me dropping a touchdown by not putting the ball away and letting him knock it out.”

Rest assured, Justin. And T.J. Even if the replay officials in New York overstepped, there was plenty more blame to spread around in the red zone.