Vikings Fans Offer Verdict on Kicker
Dustin Baker
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By a slim majority, Minnesota Vikings fans are on board with a third season from 28-year-old kicker Greg Joseph.
Joseph is a free agent and can sign anywhere in the league on March 15th if the Vikings don’t re-sign the South African. Minnesota signed Joseph in February of 2021, and he’s been the team’s sole kicker on gamedays since.
Vikings Fans Offer Verdict on Kicker
But Joseph was a mixed bag in 2022, absolutely cold-blooded in the clutch, producing five game-winning kicks amid the Vikings suspense-laden campaign. At the same time, Joseph struggled to consistently hit extra points and field goals not occurring late in the 4th Quarter. It was quite odd.
And because Joseph was responsible for an up-and-down season — and because the Vikings history with kickers is incredibly splotchy — we polled Vikings fans about their 2023 preference at kicker. When polling ended, 54.2% would welcome a Joseph reunion this September.
The poll was unscientific, and 3,787 men and women responded.
Here’s the main statistical beef with Joseph in 2022:
Greg Joseph,
NFL Rankings,
in 2022:
Game-Winning Field Goals = 1st
FG Conv % = 28th
Extra Point Conv % = 31st
Put bluntly — Joseph was great when required, with the game on the line. But he floundered at “ordinary” times, casting doubt on his future with the Vikings, as the franchise could theoretically find a kicker “who can do both.” They’re out there despite what cynical Vikings fans might insist.
Ranking 28th in field goals and 31st in extra-point conversions is awful. It shouldn’t be condoned for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. The situation would be moot if Joseph missed one or two of the aforementioned game-winners. Still, Joseph connected flawlessly on five game-winners — without any miscues — which means something. A lot, in fact — enough for Vikings fans to offer forgiveness and prefer another Joseph adventure in 2023.
If fans get their wish and it’s Joseph all over again, they will merely pray the generalized field-goal struggles, plus the extra-points follies, were a mirage — while also hoping Joseph’s clutch ways don’t depart.
Joseph’s Vikings career got off to a terrible start in 2021, missing a would-be game-winning field goal in Week 2 at the Arizona Cardinals. The kick was from 37 yards away, and he missed. Plain and simple. After that, however, Joseph cleansed the bad mojo and really hasn’t missed on the biggest stages since.
Joseph also set the Vikings franchise record with a 61-yard field goal on Christmas Eve versus the New York Giants in 2022. He has a mammoth leg.
If he is not retained for 2023, Minnesota would likely explore a rookie kicker from the 2023 draft class.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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