Getty T.J. Hockenson celebrates a score for the Lions vs. San Francisco.
The Detroit Lions hope to have one of the best players in the NFL in T.J. Hockenson, and the burly tight end wasted no time getting his bid for another big time season underway.
As part of a Lions drive following a San Francisco 49ers score, Hockenson managed to get the ball in the end zone for the team as part of a nice drive which soaked plenty of time off the game clock.
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Here’s look at the play:
.@JaredGoff16 🎯 @TheeHOCK8 for the score
#SFvsDET | 📺 FOX
The touchdown squared the game at 7-7 briefly, but the Lions would give up a quick score after to make it 14-7 49ers. A field goal by Detroit later made it 14-10. In order to stay in the game, it’s clear the Lions are going to have to keep feeding Hockenson the ball and hoping he can make big catches for the team.
This is a good start to the season for both the Lions and Hockenson.
Why T.J. Hockenson Can Break Out in 2021
To say Hockenson will break out in 2021 might be doing a disservice to what he has already shown as a player considering he cracked a Pro Bowl last season. That being said, this season will be the one that Hockenson looks truly elite and turns himself into one of the top players at tight end week in and week out. That qualifies as a breakout for the Lions, who don’t typically have the cream of any crop positionally in the league. Hockenson is going to be a star, and this season will help prove why.
That’s especially true if Hockenson can make big plays like this on the regular during the 2021 season.
Hockenson’s Career Stats and Highlights
There is simply no understating the importance of Hockenson to the Lions in the future moving forward in 2021 and beyond. The team hasn’t gotten much of anything from any of the other tight ends on their roster the last few years, and while he hasn’t had the most dramatic statistical impact thus far in his career, Hockenson has easily been one of the team’s top rookies in 2019 and 2020 and a player capable of impacting both the run and the passing games.
During his rookie season in 2019, many fans were upset with Hockenson for not making a bigger impact on the game. He had only 367 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year which is not the statistical impact that many people expected from him as a top selection for the team. 2020 was a major bounce back from that, though, and Hockenson put up 723 yards and 6 touchdowns to rebound well.
Here’s a look at some of Hockenson’s biggest career plays from last season:
Clearly, Hockenson is on the right track to being thought of as one of the best players in the league at his position. This score is a great start for him in terms of having yet another big season on the field for the Lions in 2021.
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T.J. Hockenson Scores Lions’ First Touchdown of 2021 [WATCH]