Former Iowa Hawkeyes star strangely fails in one huge area

TJ Hockenson is undoubtedly one of the best tight ends in the NFL, but the Minnesota Vikings star has failed in one massive area this season.

Reaching the end zone.

Hockenson returned in November from a serious knee injury suffered last December and played good football, recording 34 catches for 378 yards.

However, he failed to score a touchdown in eight games.

This is new territory for the Iowa Hawkeyes legend, who has never missed a touchdown in a season since entering the NFL as the eighth overall pick of the Detroit Lions in 2019.

In fact, in the first five years of his professional career, Hockenson collected 23 scores and scored six touchdowns. He reached this mark twice.

Last year, the 27-year-old caught 95 balls for 960 yards and five scores in 15 games.

To be fair, Hockenson plays in an absolutely potent Vikings offense that includes wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and running back Aaron Jones. But it’s definitely strange to see Hockenson posting a donut in the “touchdown” column.

What makes things even stranger is the fact that backup tight end Josh Oliver scored three points in 2024, although two of those touchdowns came before Hockenson took the field back.

Hockenson is a two-time Pro Bowler, so there’s a good chance he’ll be fine. He also has two weeks left to score a touchdown, starting with Minnesota’s NFC North showdown against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday.