Don’t Forget Who Saved the Game for Vikings on MNF
J.J. McCarthy stole the show for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, and nobody disputes it.
Don’t forget who saved the Vikings game on MNF, making the play that kept everything afloat. Here’s how it unfolded and why it proved decisive.
The 22-year-old quarterback led an extraordinary 4th Quarter comeback in his first-ever start, toppling the Chicago Bears by a score of 27-24 after trailing 17-6 at one point.
And while McCarthy deserves all his flowers — and then some — don’t forget about the man who saved the day before crunchtime: Will Reichard.
Vikings Kicker Drilled an Unsung Kick That Should Not Be Forgotten
Reichard had the juice in Week 1.
Will Reichard Kept Everything Afloat
Staring down a manageable 10-3 deficit, with the 2nd Quarter near an end, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell used some curious clock management to line Reichard up for a 59-yard field goal.
The man casually banged it through, making it one of the most underappreciated long-long kicks in Vikings history. Fans were so flustered by the offense’s anemia, that Reichard converting the kick merely felt like breath of fresh air — not a remarkable feat.
The Vikings’ PR team tweeted about the kick: “Will Reichard’s 59-yard field goal was the second longest in team history, trailing only Greg Joseph’s 61-yarder vs. NYG in Week 16 of 2022. It also marked the longest field goal in a season opener in team history (Joseph’s 56 vs. GB in 2022).”
Here’s the footage if you missed it.
A Record-Tying Kick
Not only did Reichard’s gem of a kick create his career best, he tied the Soldier Field record for the longest field goal, previously held by Matt Prater, who Vikings fans will remember with negative memories.
Soldier Field is a terrible venue for kickers, showcasing a shoddy field and — you guessed it — wind. It’s often cold, too, which does the kicking game no favors.
But when Minnesota needed Reichard, he stroked the thing from 59 yards away.
Doomsday if He Missed
Based on the momentum of the game — basically lack thereof — had Reichard missed, the contest would’ve felt like one of those Vikings games where everything goes wrong. Reichard missing a 59-yarder is certainly forgivable, especially at Soldier Field, but his team really needed him to smash that kick through the uprights, and he did it.
That — and the fact that Minnesota won by [checks notes] three points.
Reichard’s 59-yarder was crucial to keep the team’s morale high and wound up being the decisive transaction on the scoreboard.
J.J. McCarthy Did the Rest
In addition to Reichard, McCarthy scripted the rest of the comeback.
He and his offense played like feces for the game’s first three quarters, refusing to convert 3rd Downs while Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen confusingly dropped passes. O’Connell seemed to force McCarthy into an underneath, dink-and-dunk offense to get his career started, but when O’Connell put the car in drive, drive it did.
McCarthy was unleashed, scoring three touchdowns in the 4th Quarter alone and helping Minnesota topple Chicago for a sixth consecutive time at Soldier Field.
The second-year passer would win the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award two days later. Not bad for a man’s first career start.
More Context on Reichard
Writer Michael Brauner opined on Reichard’s MNF performance, “Former Alabama Crimson Tide and Hoover High School kicker Will Reichard has excelled since being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. Now at the start of the second year of his NFL career, he continues to make his home state proud.”
“Not only was it the longest field goal made by a Crimson Tider, it was tied for the longest field goal made by someone from the state of Alabama, pulling Reichard even with Cincinnati Bengals kicker and former Fort Payne star Evan McPherson, who made a 59-yarder during the 2022 season.”
The entirety of Minnesota’s special teams performed adeptly on Monday, especially the punt return unit.
Brauner added, “Reichard and McPherson will be battling for the record for years to come. However, Reichard has a lock on making folks in Tuscaloosa proud, as Alabama kickers do not have a storied history in the NFL. Previously, Van Tiffin was the only Alabama alumnus to make a 50-yard field goal, accomplishing the feat in 1987.”
“If Reichard can continue his early success, he has a chance to become the best Crimson Tide NFL kicker in history. The way things are going for him now, it certainly would not be a surprise if that proved to be the case.”
Reichard appears to be back to form after a slow finish to the 2024 campaign following his quad injury that tossed him on injured reserve for a month.
You must be logged in to post a comment.