TJ Hockenson's decision to slide short of the end zone late in the Minnesota Vikings' 15-10 win against the Miami Dolphins angered plenty of NFL bettors in Week 4
T.J. Hockenson #87 of the Minnesota Vikings slides short
Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson avoided scoring a touchdown late in a Week 4 win against the Miami Dolphins(Image: NFL)
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NFL bettors were left furious when Minnesota Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson intentionally avoided scoring a touchdown.
Hockenson slid short of the end zone with two minutes remaining in the Vikings’ 15-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins in NFL Week 4, which proved to be a consequential decision for many bettors watching at home.
Had Hockenson scored, the Vikings would have led by a minimum of 11 points and likely ended up covering the point spread, which was set at -10.5 ahead of the game. All they would have had to do was keep the Dolphins from scoring a field goal or touchdown in the final two minutes of regulation.
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Instead, Hockenson’s decision to slide short of the end zone – a common time-wasting tactic among NFL teams with a lead who don’t want to give their opponent the ball back – meant Minnesota only won by five points and did not cover the spread.
Fans were quick to take to social media to complain about the play, with some calling it the worst ‘bad beat’ of the season.
“NFL rigging s— again. Up by 5 the Vikings TJ Hockenson slides down at the 1 yard line. Potentially icing the spread cover,” one fan wrote on X.
Another fan replied directly to the NFL official account’s post of the video, which called Hockenson’s decision “savvy,” writing, “I wanted to take Vikings -9.5 spread my gut feeling saved me they be knowing these lines cause aint no way lol.”
T.J. Hockenson #87 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball
Hockenson and the Vikings are one of three remaining undefeated teams in the NFL(Image: Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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“Vikings spread was 11, Hockenson slides at the 1 when he had a walk in TD. Sigh,” added another.
“Vikings purposely didn’t cover the spread,” said one bettor, while another added, “If you had the Vikings spread I know you sick, Vegas made the call.”
It is not the first time this season a player has intentionally avoided scoring a touchdown and angered bettors because of it.
In Week 3, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence kneeled at the one-yard line with eight minutes remaining and his team leading 28-6, prompting bettors and fantasy football players to question why he chose not to score.
One sportsbook even refunded bettors who wagered on Lawrence to score a touchdown, but most others did not. In Week 4, Vikings spread bettors were given no relief despite the fact their bet probably should have hit.
Some fans argued that because Minnesota did not lead by double-digits at any point in the game, Hockenson choosing not to score cannot be categorized as a ‘bad beat,’ which is the term for when a person’s sports bet loses because of something unlucky.