Vikings' KOC Talks 'Implications' of T.J. Hockenson Not Scoring TD amid Fantasy, Gambling Fallout

The Minnesota Vikings escaped Sunday's game with a 15-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins, but the final score would have looked better if T.J. Hockenson scored a touchdown instead of going down with two minutes remaining so they could kneel out the rest of the game.

Fantasy football managers and gamblers certainly took note, but head coach Kevin O'Connell praised the tight end for making the right football play and wasn't worried about those "implications" from elsewhere.

"We call that Rolex," he said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (9:25 mark). "That was the hardest Rolex decision to make since I've been a head coach. … We go in the end zone right there, you're probably looking at at least another potential two-minute drive where some really important players who have played a lot of football go back on the field for defense.

"… I told our offense, if you want to score, do it earlier. … That's part of our game. I'm not exactly hanging the 15-10 score on the mantle at home, but I will take a 4-0 season to start."

O'Connell's job is to put the Vikings in the best position to win both during the individual game and over the long course of the season. With that in mind, Hockenson going down so the offense can take a knee is the right play.

Not only does it rule out the unlikely possibility of Miami scoring, recovering an onside kick and scoring again, it also avoided any scenarios where the defense suffered an injury near the end of the game.

And keeping that defense, which has been largely dominant during a 4-0 start to the season, fresh will put the Vikings in the best position to succeed as the 2026 campaign continues.

Still, gamblers who wanted Minnesota to cover the spread or fantasy managers who wanted a touchdown from Hockenson surely aren't thrilled with how things played out.