Let’s assume Sam Darnold rebounds for the Vikings. The veteran had a good season overall, proving he’s resilient and may overcome pressure at different times.
Can we are saying the identical about Kicker?
Right now, a perfect start to the season seems a great distance off for rookie Will Reichard. The No. 203 overall pick within the 2024 NFL Draft began his 12 months flawlessly for a few weeks before suffering a quadriceps injury that landed him on IR. Before going IR and since returning, Reichard has not been the identical automatic kicker. Will this be a problem when the playoffs come?
The Vikings have a problem with Kicker
By definition, the playoffs are where the most effective teams within the NFL battle it out in a tournament that may ultimately lead to one team winning the Lombardi Trophy. Matches can often be very close as evenly matched opponents try to gain as much advantage as possible.
Special teams could also be forgotten when discussing these games, but anyone who watched the Vikings’ defeat in Week 18 will have the ability to inform you how necessary this phase of the sport is. Before halftime, Reichard knocked the ball out of bounds early, giving the Lions the ball near the 40. The final result was a few positive offensive plays from the Lions, followed by a successful halftime field goal.
To make matters worse, Reichard had one other missed field goal. Yes, it was from 50+, nevertheless it wasn’t particularly close.
To summarize the entire stats throughout the season, Reichard finished his NFL rookie 12 months in average to above-average fashion, at least when it comes to rookie expectations. He played 24 hours a day on field goals, leading to a relatively poor conversion rate of 80%. Ironically, FG% puts him in a tie with Greg Joseph – the Minnesota specialist who moved from Minnesota in favor of Reichard – for twenty fifth within the NFL.
The upside is that he’s flawless on extra points, achieving a perfect rating of 38/38.
Another aspect of his job is covering the primary matches, which didn’t seem to be a major problem all year long. He played 74 first balls, 62 of which were touchbacks. There is enough strength within the legs to send the ball straight into the tip zone. Matt Daniels might be looking to ensure there’s never one other occasion where his K1 kicks the ball out of bounds, especially late within the half.
In Week 17, Will Reichard missed a pair of kicks against the Packers. Minnesota won anyway. In Week 18, Will Reichard missed a fumble in a loss against the Lions. True, the Vikings needed rather more than three points to prevail in a 31-9 loss – nobody beats the Lions on field goals alone – however the miss is a reminder that the early-season automatic kicker is now struggling.
The Los Angeles Rams are a good, but not great football team. At 10-7, Los Angeles will give Minnesota every part they will muster, but we must always do not forget that we’re talking about a team with a -19 point differential for your entire season. The Vikings can win away.
One way to call into query what should have happened is thru shoddy special teams play. O’Connell, Daniels and Reichard will need to have a great week preparing for Minnesota to advance beyond the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
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