Vikings K Will Reichard won another prestigious award, and is building a resume to contend for another that’s a massive long shot
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell has had 28 different players win individual awards while being the head coach, and that continues to grow.
The Minnesota Vikings have done it again. Through just four weeks, three Vikings players have already won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. This week, the award goes to kicker Will Reichard, who earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after connecting on five field goals.
Reichard winning a weekly award isn’t the headline. What stands out is that Reichard hasn’t just been good for the Vikings. He’s been historically good.
Will Reichard hasn’t missed a kick in more than a calendar year
So far this season, Reichard has made all 12 of his field goal attempts and all six of his extra points. That puts him at a perfect 18-for-18 on his kicks through four games. That trend has been going for some time.
When you go back to last season, his last missed kick came in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Since then, Reichard has made a whopping 55 consecutive kicks, including his last 31 field goals.
He has been as automatic as you could ask for from a kicker. Minnesota has had that kind of reliability at times in the past, but it hasn’t been able to sustain it. That’s what makes Reichard’s run so valuable to the Vikings.
Through three seasons, Reichard has proven he can be consistent. In his three-year career, he has missed just eight field goals and hasn’t missed a single extra point, a mark of 144-of-152. For a position that has given the Vikings plenty of headaches over the years, that level of reliability is a luxury.
Is there an MVP case for a kicker?
There are also questions about whether Reichard could be in the conversation as the most valuable player in the league. Realistically, he isn’t going to win the award. It has happened before, though. Kicker Mark Moseley won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 1982, but that had just as much to do with it being a strike-shortened season as anything else.
Even so, the numbers make the conversation hard to dismiss. Reichard is tied for the league lead in points scored with 42. He shares that mark with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, and Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader.
That’s quite a list to be on. Allen, Gibbs, and Henry are among the most dangerous offensive players in football, and Reichard is matching their output by doing nothing more than converting every opportunity he gets. He’s also a major reason why the Vikings have started 4-0, as they have scored just one offensive touchdown in the last three weeks. While a kicker isn’t likely to win MVP honors, Reichard right now is just that for the Vikings.
The Vikings may have the best kicker in the NFL once again
Being able to score points consistently and at such a high level is why Reichard is viewed as one of the best kickers in the league. He has the hardware to back it up, too. Last season, Reichard was named first-team All-Pro at the position.
That accolade matters when you’re debating who the best kicker in the NFL is. It’s one thing to have a hot start through four weeks. It’s another to stack that hot start on top of an All-Pro campaign and a three-year track record with only eight missed field goals.
The Vikings have received strong individual performances across the roster early in the season, which is why three different players have taken home weekly honors already. However, Reichard’s impact might be the most dependable of the group. Every drive that stalls in opposing territory still ends with points, and that’s a weapon most teams simply don’t have.
Considering how well Reichard has performed across the board, there’s a strong case that Minnesota has the best kicker in the league once again. The real question now is how long the streak can last, because at 55 straight makes, nobody has found a way to stop it yet.
Here is the full list of 21 players to earn Player of the Week honors under O’Connell
- 2022: K Greg Joseph, Week 4 (Special Teams)
- 2022: P Ryan Wright, Week 6 (Special Teams)
- 2022: EDGE Za’Darius Smith, Week 8 (Defensive)
- 2022: WR Justin Jefferson, Week 10 (Offensive)
- 2022: RB Kene Nwangwu, Week 12 (Special Teams)
- 2022: QB Kirk Cousins, Week 15 (Offense)
- 2022: K Greg Joseph, Week 16 (Special Teams)
- 2023: ILB Jordan Hicks, Week 6 (Defensive)
- 2023: S Cam Bynum, Week 7 (Defensive)
- 2023: QB Josh Dobbs, Week 9 (Offensive)
- 2023: ILB Ivan Pace Jr., Week 14 (Defensive)
- 2024: EDGE Jonathan Greenard, Week 3 (Defensive)
- 2024: QB Sam Darnold, Week 14 (Offensive)
- 2024: EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel, Week 16 (Defensive)
- 2025: QB J.J. McCarthy, Week 1 (Offensive)
- 2025: CB Isaiah Rodgers, Week 3 (Defensive)
- 2025: DT Levi Drake Rodriguez, Week 9 (Special Teams)
- 2025: S Harrison Smith, Week 17 (Defensive)
- 2026: CB Isaiah Rodgers, Week 2 (Special Teams)
- 2026: WR Myles Price, Week 3 (Special Teams)
- 2026: K Will Reichard, Week 4 (Special Teams)
