"Roger Goodell continues to ruin NFL": Fans call out referees after T.J. Hockenson rips officiating for overturning his late TD vs. Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles ended their two-game losing streak with a 28-22 win against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. However, the win has been marred by controversy after Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson called out the decision to overturn his touchdown.

Hockenson had a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, but it was overturned after a replay. The Vikings tight end made his feelings known on the decision after the game.

“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”

NFL fans sided with Hockenson as they called out the referees for overturning the touchdown that would have cut the Eagles' lead to two points.

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"Goodell continues to ruin the NFL."

"Vikings got screwed."

"I have and always will be on the NFL is rigged train."

"Welcome to the fix, Vikings! You just got scripted!"

"I’m a die hard Bears fan, I thought it was a catch!!! Replay got this one wrong!!!!!🤦‍♂️"

"Been a problem since 2014. NFL, figure it out."

T.J. Hockenson's play explained by vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth

While the call was overturned after the replay, T.J. Hockenson revealed that two members of the refree crew told him they thought his touchdown was fair as he made a clean catch.

However, vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth explained the decision, saying the Vikings TE wasn't in control of the ball throughout the play.

"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."

This is not the first time an Eagles game has been in the news for a controversial refereeing decision, as the defending Super Bowl winner's employment of tush push has been seemingly getting dubious calls from referees this season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Vikings Nation! Check out the latest Minnesota Vikings Schedule and dive into the Vikings Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash