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Monday, January 16, 2023

T.J. Hockenson’s epic game vs. Giants reaches heights not even Randy Moss could touch

 




Published January 15, 2023 at 8:11 PM EST

By Steve Silverman










The Minnesota Vikings have been an explosive offensive team all season, and they have gotten a huge boost from tight end T.J. Hockenson since acquiring him in a midseason trade with the Detroit Lions.

He continued his impressive string of performances in the Wild Card game against the New York Giants.



























— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 16, 2023


Hockenson caught 10 passes for 129 yards in the Giants 31-24 victory over the Vikings. Hockenson is the first Viking receiver to exceed the 100-yard receiving mark in his playoff debut. No Vikings player had even reached the 80-yard mark in his first playoff game — including Hall of Famer Randy Moss.

The record has to be cold comfort for Hockenson, as the Vikings saw their season come to an end on their home field. Prior to the defeat, the Vikings has been 11-0 in one-score games.

The Vikings got the ball back with 2:56 remaining in the 4th quarter at their own 12-yard line but they did not have a time out as they trailed by 7 points. After advancing to their own 48-yard line, the Vikings needed to convert a 4th-and-8 play with 1:44 remaining to keep the drive alive.

Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins threw the ball to Hockenson, but the pass was just a 3-yard toss, and New York’s Xavier McKinney was able to tackle him and stop the drive.

The Giants were able to run out the clock and they will face the division rival Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional playoffs.

While New York struggled to a degree on defense and could not contain T.J. Hockenson, the Giants made big plays on offense. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he also ran for 78 yards.


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