One New Viking Is Drawing Rave Reviews
Have you felt the longstanding kicking angst in your gut subside as a Minnesota Vikings fan?
One New Viking Is Drawing Rave Reviews
That’s because of Will Reichard. His dependability through five games has turned the heads of teammates, coaches, and fans — so much so that onlookers’ usual kicking-related dread has subsided, at least for a while.
The Vikings have a long — and bad — history of kicking woes, but with Reichard in the house, field goal and special teams operations have stabilized. Just four NFL kickers are perfect at the moment, missing zero field goals and extra points:
- Nick Folk (Tennessee Titans)
- Matt Prater (Arizona Cardinals)
- Will Reichard (Minnesota Vikings)
- Austin Seibert (Washington Commanders)
And in Week 5 for the Vikings in London, the purple team needed every Reichard kick to hang onto a 23-17 victory over the New York Jets. He connected from 54 yards, 53, and 41 on 3 field goals, along with 2 extra points. Generally, a kicker hitting 3-for-3 and a couple of extra points isn’t breaking news, but the weather in London wasn’t ideal, sprinkling and sometimes all-out raining throughout the game.
Had Reichard missed one kick, the outcome of Vikings-Jets could’ve been in the balance.
Meanwhile, Reichard’s teammates are commending the new kicker. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson complimented Reichard after the dub. “To say he’s coming in as a new guy and making field goals left and right, and especially from the length that he’s making it, it’s definitely something that we need,” he said Sunday. “Especially not putting points on the board as an offense — coming out with three points is something. Of course, we want to get the seven, but if you take [the points he scored away], we don’t come out with this game.”
Jefferson also mentioned about Reichard, the de facto game MVP: “He’s a dog. He’s an SEC guy, so that’s something we’re kind of expecting from him.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell wasn’t shy with praise, either. “Knowing we were in field goal range, you should never take a sack in that moment, and Sam knows that, but to have Reichard stride out there and put it through with plenty of leg, that is probably a transaction that not a lot of people are going to talk about, but he’s made some huge kicks,” O’Connell told reporters.
“He’s just walked out there and done his job with very little fanfare. I absolutely love him. He’s cold, cold blooded.”
Reichard’s next assignment occurs in 12 days when Minnesota hosts the Detroit Lions, a game that could be for control of the NFC North and establish an NFC Super Bowl frontrunner.
So far, Reichard has been worth the draft pick in April despite criticism from some that kickers should be found on the undrafted free-agent market.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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