'Monday Night Football' play-by-play man Joe Buck accused the Minnesota Vikings of purposely faking injuries to stop the play clock during their 22-17 win against the San Francisco 49ers Monday (October 23) night.
Buck pointed out that Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell appeared to tell tight end T.J. Hockenson to "go down" after a first down catch made by running back Cam Akers, which put them on the 2-yard-line, during the live 'Monday Night Football' broadcast. Hockenson, who was blocking for Akers, was seen on the ground grabbing his left calf and then hobbling off the field, stopping the play clock at 8:31 remaining.
“We just caught Kevin O’Connell on camera saying ‘T.J. go down,’” Buck said.
“Buying some time,” added color commentator and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman.
Hockenson was able to walk off the field on his own accord, but Buck later backtracked his claim, describing the tight end as being "gimpy."
“Hockenson appears to be fine on the sideline,” Buck said. “He was gimpy getting up after blocking out in front of Cam Akers. And Kevin O’Connell saw that and just told Hockenson to go down, which is what he did. That stopped the clock.”
The drive ultimately concluded with a 21-yard field goal by Greg Joseph to extend Minnesota's lead to 10-0. The Vikings improved to 3-4 with Monday's win, now trailing the first-place Detroit Lions by two games.
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