T.J. Hockenson, who caught 11 passes for 86 yards on Monday Night Football in Week 7, was a major factor in the Minnesota Vikings’ stunning upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Early in the game, Hockenson was part of an intriguing incident where Kevin O’Connell urged him to fake an injury, which led to a funny roast by Joe Buck.
The Vikings were on the 49ers two-yard line when Cam Akers tore off a 30-yard screen halfway through the second quarter. But the Vikings were struggling to get their offense up to the ball quickly enough, so O’Connell hurriedly ordered Hockenson to take a hit to buy the team some time. As he was making game commentary, Buck instantly saw this and called O’Connell out.
Although O’Connell is not the first person to use this tactic, he was seen instructing Hockenson to come down here in broad daylight when he was confronted by ESPN cameras while the Vikings were attempting to prevent a delay in the game or the need to use a timeout. It worked in the end, but Buck didn’t let O’Connell off this time without making fun of his choice.
In the end, the Vikings were stuffed at the Niners goal line and had to settle for a field goal, so this didn’t really help them. But a win is a win, and Kevin O’Connell was willing to go to any lengths to secure this victory, even if it meant that Joe Buck would roast him for directing Hockenson to stage an injury.
