PurplePTSD: Vikings Special Teams A Positive During Disappointing Loss To Packers

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

LeeAnn Lowman

2022-01-06

The Minnesota Vikings special teams was once again a bright spot during the disappointing 37-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. The special teams have come under fire in the past for some inconsistencies in performance – much like the rest of the team. They have given up some costly penalties and missed some major opportunities, like the punt return for a touchdown last week against the Rams. However, the special teams unit has continued to improve and overall performed well this season. The coaches acknowledged prior to the game that you prepare differently for a game like last week. The temperature at kick-off was 11 degrees with wind chills down to 1 degree. That kind of bitter cold makes everything more challenging.

The frigid conditions at Lambeau Field, in the winter, have such a big impact on gameplay that it should get its own stat column. Despite expectations that both special teams units would struggle, especially with kicking, the Vikings won the special teams battle, even if they didn’t win the game. To put in perspective how well the unit did, Jordan Berry had 6 punts for an average of 49.3 yards per punt. The net average, after return, was 43.8 yards. By comparison, Green Bay had 2 punts (one only went 24 yards) with his average being 31.5 yards.

Special team coordinator Ryan Ficken spoke to the media ahead of the game last week. He acknowledged the difficulty that playing in below-freezing temperatures presents. He said that kicking the ball would be like “kicking rocks.” This message must not have gotten to Greg Joseph since he nailed a 51-yard field goal at the end of the first half. This field goal helped prevent a total shutout and gave the offense a spark of life. That field goal also set a new record for the longest field goal kicked at Lambeau in January. Additionally, it put Joseph in 2nd place with the most 50+ yard field goals in a Vikings season.

Not only did the kicking duo perform exceptionally well given the arctic temperatures, kick returner Kene Nwangwu had 3 returns for 86 yards, with an average of 28.7 yards (with his longest being 37 yards). While it was a solid performance from the rookie it has room for improvement. In a game where there was little to lose it would have been refreshing to have the Nwangwu coached to run the ball out almost every time. He took several touchbacks, some of which appeared returnable. When your offense is struggling you can’t afford to leave any potential yardage on the field. 

During that same presser last week, Coach Ficken acknowledged that there have been some bumps in the road. He said that the team cannot hyper focus on one play, referring to the punt return touchdown by the Rams. The special teams players have a lot to be proud of; during the 2020 season they ranked among the worst-performing units in the league. This season the Vikings made some significant moves in all areas: drafting, free agency, and coaching to improve special teams play, and it paid off. 

In the game against the Packers, it felt like the deck was stacked against Minnesota, so not many expected a win. As the Vikings head into playing for pride against the Chicago Bears this week, many are already looking ahead to next season. It is nearly impossible for a team to fix all of their weak areas over one off-season. While the Vikings still have rebuilding to do it is encouraging to see the improvements on special teams this season. It allows Ficken to take this positive momentum and build upon it to be even crisper in 2022.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.