Vikings Special Teams Continue to Be a Strength
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings were terrific in basically all facets of the game. The offense was smooth; the defense was overwhelming. However, the biggest change from recent years for the Vikings was the fact that the Vikings special teams continued to be a strength of the team following training camp. Here is a quick look at how the special teams performed on Sunday.
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Greg Joseph Nails a 56-Yarder
Matt Daniels said before the season started that this was going to be the best season of Greg Joseph’s career. So far, that theory is being proven correct as Joseph hit all five of his kicks, including a career-high 56-yard field goal.
One thing that has plagued the Vikings in recent years has been the kicking game. In fact, many teams did not win games in Week 1 because of inconsistencies from the kicker position. If the Vikings have found a legitimate kicking option in Greg Joseph, and the rest of the Vikings special teams continue to be a strength of the team, that makes it much easier to win games.
Ryan Wright Stays Consistent
Ryan Wright earned his spot on the roster over Jordan Berry during training camp, and he showed why he deserves to be punting in the NFL on Sunday. Against the Packers, he punted five times for an average of 46.4 yards per punt, including a 56-yard boot.
Additionally. we mentioned Greg Joseph’s success as a kicker. but a kicker is only as good as his holder on many occasions. There were early concerns that Wright would mess up the chemistry that Joseph had built with Berry, but no such thing has occurred so far.
Nearly Blocked Punts
We can talk about consistency of punts or Greg Joseph continuing to nail 50-plus yard field goals with ease, but one of the most impressive parts of Sunday’s win was the fact that the Vikings consistently got pressure on Green Bay’s punter, Pat O’Donnell.
There were three separate occurrences where it seemed like someone on the Vikings punt coverage team should have gotten a hand on one of the kicks, and every time they didn’t, it seemed to defy physics. If the Vikings can continue to dial up this type of pressure on opposing punters, they should eventually come away with a big play.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh can often be found training for a marathon, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his takes, NFL and otherwise, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken