EAGAN, Minn. — The "one-play phase" was instrumental to every Vikings win in 2025.

It was a historic year for Minnesota's special teams and for the three specialists who absolutely thrived with their job duties in impactful moments — doing so in three countries, with impressive consistency.

Kicker Will Reichard, long snapper Andrew DePaola and punter Ryan Wright were brilliant. So brilliant the former two became the first set of Vikings specialists to earn All-Pro credentials in the same season (Reichard on the First Team, and DePaola on the Second Team); Wright punted his way into contention.

It's an adjective that regularly gets abused and misused, but "historic" does appropriately reflect the season assembled by that trio plus exciting rookie returner Myles Price and every other player who fought to positively influence games, such as punt gunners Tavierre Thomas and Tai Felton, as well as starting cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and backup defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez, who moonlighted as field-goal blockers; the latter received NFC Special Teams Player of the Week notice for a clutch rejection in Week 9 at Detroit, which was returned 41 yards by Rodgers to set up a key field goal.

When the final whistle sounded on Minnesota's season, the special teams were not faultless. There were blunders, including one we'll regrettably revisit soon, and opportunities to improve on the 9-8 record gone with the wind. But, overall, the Vikings special teams figureheads stuck on the right side of history.

Let's recap those instances before unpacking the woes and the oh-so-closes.

Reichard and Price were fundamental to the Week 1 win at Chicago. The kicker converted Minnesota's first six points — his second boot for three tied the longest field goal at Soldier Field set by Matt Prater in 2016 (59 yards); he had one from the same distance in Week 12 at Green Bay to file behind David Akers (63) for the second longest at Lambeau Field — and the returner averaged 17 yards on four punt returns.

In Week 3, a full-fledged splattering of Cincinnati and the first home victory of 2025, Reichard etched his name in stone with the farthest field goal in franchise history. His 62-yarder before halftime snuck inside the right upright and would have been good from 65. It was 10 yards longer than his longest at Alabama.

Wright was in his bag in Week 5, buoying his best single-game punting average in four seasons (57.2 yards) with a 77-yard airstrike that cornered Cleveland at its 2 when the Browns led 17-14 late in the third quarter. Wright also flipped field position with punts for 54 and 63 to help the Vikings win 21-17.

The aforementioned block by Rodriguez in Week 9 lowered Detroit's chances of winning with 6:29 remaining in the 27-24 upset. Additionally, Reichard rebuilt a slim lead with a go-ahead field goal from 50 with 4:46 to go in the first half, and Price was the catalyst of an upstart Vikings offense, flooring the crowd at Ford Field with a couple holy-moly kickoff returns (we clarify those at the bottom of this story).

Week 14 wasn't very demanding of Minnesota's special teams — that's usually how it goes in a blowout (31-zip over Washington) — but still, they flawlessly executed: seven points courtesy Reichard, including a FG from 45 to extend his successful streak to eight (he ended 2025 riding a 19-for-19 high on FG tries), and a 35-yard Price kickoff return that set fire to a trend of the Vikings winning the coin toss and electing to receive; they opted to do so thrice over their final five games, losing the midfield flip in the other two.

In prime time the following week, Reichard shined (keep reading to recall how brightly) and Wright was at ease, dropping a 65-yard punt at the Cowboys 3 and a 47-yard punt out of bounds at the Cowboys 10.

Down the closing stretch, Minnesota's FG operation stayed hot. Reichard fended off cold and windy elements at MetLife Stadium to inch the Vikings past the Giants, 16-13, with three field goals and an extra-point. He knocked through three more field goals on Christmas Day against the Lions, including 52- and 56-yarders about a minute apart in the third frame, and another three versus Green Bay in Week 18.

Amongst his accolades, Reichard became the first kicker ever to nail four 59-plus yard field goals in a season; the only one we haven't mentioned yet was a 59-yarder in the first quarter against the Eagles.

All those details confirm it was a historic campaign for Minnesota's special teams — but no, not perfect.

Price, who slipped and injured himself on the opening kickoff in the penultimate game of his rookie year, put two balls on the turf — on back-to-back kickoff returns — in Week 10 against Baltimore. The second popped free on a daring, out-of-control runback and was saved by TE Ben Yurosek. The first proved to be a fatal giveaway and happened immediately after the Ravens claimed their first lead of the game, 12-10.

That fumble gifted Baltimore possession at Minnesota's 23. Six plays later, the Ravens punched in six. On the next series, the Vikings turned the ball over on downs, and the team's aplomb seemed to disappear.

In the end, that 27-19 loss hung over Minnesota like a sad, dark cloud and prompted a four-game falloff.

Notable Numbers

11 — Punts plopped inside the opponent's 10 by "Mr. Wright," knotting him to Sam Martin, Ryan Rehkow and Tress Way for the seventh most in the NFL. It's a small list of guys with more: Tommy Townsend (16), Jack Fox and Austin McNamara (13), and Bradley Pinion, AJ Cole and Riley Dixon (12).

11 (again) — Field goals by Reichard from 50-something yards. Brandon Aubrey and Chase McLaughlin had the same amount, but no one had more. Reichard's tally checks out as a Vikings record for 50-yarders in a season, one-upping Blair Walsh's 10 in 2012, and surged his two-season total from 50-plus to 19 out of 24 (79.2%). The only kickers with as many or more from 50-plus and a higher FG% in that span are McLaughlin (86.4%) and Chris Boswell (84.6%). Aubrey has 25 such FGs, but at a lower clip (73.5%).

49.0 — Yards per punt for Wright, improving upon the Vikings benchmark he achieved in 2023 (48.7). Wright, who calls his power-style punt (essentially the driver in his bag of golf clubs) a "napalm," is now the owner of four of the Top 5 marks in a season in team history. His four-season average is 47.9 yards.

91.1 — The Pro Football Focus special teams grade awarded to Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels' group. It edged San Francisco and Cleveland (both 90.8) for the NFL reign in 2025. Also, it represents the highest score for a special teams unit in four seasons. The 2021 Saints had a mark of 91.5.

1,777 — Return yards for Price, combining kickoffs and punts. It's the most by an undrafted player in his first season since Danny Amendola scooted for 1,978 in 2009 — and it's a new single-season Vikings franchise record, raising the bar David Palmer set nearly 30 years ago (1,465 spanning 16 games in 1998).

The Brightest Spot

Long list to choose from here, honestly.

A couple runner-ups: Reichard's historic 59-yarders were awesome and tough kicks on slick outdoor surfaces, and Wright's 77-yard boomer in London was the longest punt of the NFL season — by anyone.

They paled, however, in comparison to the head-to-head on Sunday Night Football that Reichard won.

In Week 15 at Dallas, the NFL was privy to witness what may one day be remembered as a passing of the torch — from Aubrey, arguably the league's finest kicker in 2023 and 2024, to Reichard, the best of 2025.

In a battle between this year's First- and Second-Team All-Pros, Reichard left his stamp, converting FG attempts from 29 and 53 yards in Minnesota's win; they presumably convinced voters of his succession.

Conversely, Aubrey went 4-for-6 with makes from 37, 26 and 41 twice, and misses from 51 and 59.

Reichard obviously drilled much tougher kicks — longer ones and ones in more hostile settings — but it feels rare (no idea if it is actually) for kickers recognized as the current gold standard to be on competing sides in a nationally televised game and with a distinct line separating one's performance from the other.

By the way, we almost forgot, Reichard's 10 prime-time points were pivotal in a game decided by eight.

The Lowest Moment

One play comes to mind bar none.

With 56 seconds to spare at home against the Bears in Week 11, first-year starter J.J. McCarthy did the darndest thing, flicking a 15-yard pass to Jordan Addison for a TD and positioning Reichard for the go-ahead PAT. It seemingly secured the Chicagoland native's second win against the eventual NFC North champs, who had won six of seven entering the game. To steal from Lee Corso: "Not so fast, my friend!"

On the ensuing kickoff, Reichard pinned Bears returner Devin Duvernay (once an All-Pro in his own right) in the corner of the gridiron closest to Minnesota's sideline. At the Bears 4, Duvernay gathered the ball, sprinted forward and then weaved to his right, locking his eyes and his stride on an unmissable opening.

Abandoning lane integrity in hopes of being the guy to make the play that perhaps would have sealed Minnesota's 3-0 dawn in the division, a clump of Vikings crashed hard in the direction Duvernay started.

Oh, what a mistake.

Duvernay reached 21.03 mph on his runback, according to Next Gen Stats. He galloped diagonally across the field as he climbed the numbers and then barreled out of bounds at the Vikings 40 when Eric Wilson caught up to him with a good pursuit angle. The damage was done. And U.S. Bank Stadium was deflated.

Already bordering Cairo Santos' field goal range, Chicago dialed three conservative runs for a total of 9 yards before handing the baton to its veteran kicker. The Bears prevailed on a walk-off 48-yard field goal.

We're sorry we subjected you to this mighty impactful and miserably feeling sequence, again.

In a calendar packed with attrition and devastation, what-ifs and forlorn goals, this 8-second special teams play takes the cake as the most painful, the toughest-to-live-with lowest moment of the season.

2 Pressing Questions for 2026

1. Will the Vikings re-sign pending FAs DePaola and Wright?

A common adage is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

DePaola became the first long snapper to go to three consecutive Pro Bowls in 2024 and mysteriously didn't get the nod in 2025 — not that he's fretting about it. He got the higher honor, anyway, receiving All-Pro fame for the fourth year in a row (he's yo-yo'd on the First and Second Teams in those four years).

If age is a concern — DePaola turns 39 in late July — it shouldn't be. He scoffed a few weeks ago when a reporter asked him about his future and implied that retirement was up for debate. He intends to lace up his cleats for his 12^th season and has every motivation to want to do so in Minnesota, with a young family, and elite results in the four seasons since Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Daniels came to town.

As for Wright, well, he's 25 and hot off his sharpest season to date in most metrics and more importantly has committed himself to a standard of operation — during the season, as well as the offseason — that's worked wonders. A former high school quarterback, Wright was admittedly raw as a punter when Daniels gauged his big-leg potential coming out of Tulane. He said last month he let complacency creep in after a strong rookie campaign, and now he is dialed into his training. The byproducts have impressed.

More accurate, more powerful, more poised in the noise.

2. Is Price the long-term answer in the return game?

First, let's spell out what we learned in 2025.

The undrafted Price has an exuberance about him that's writ large even before he glides on the grass. And then his play style matches his personality; it's punchy and breath-holding, and confident to a fault.

That latter trait was most obvious returning punts. Price, a.k.a. "Jug" (a doting nickname given to him by teammates and derived from his head's shape resembling that of a jug of water, or so they say), fielded the third most among all players (30) and was T-14^th in fair catches (12). Essentially, if he looked skyward and saw a ball he liked, he didn't hesitate and trusted whatever space, little or lot, he had in front of him.

Sovereign confidence is Price's superpower. It allowed him to walk tall in the offseason program as someone who signed for pennies relative to many peers. It helped win him the returning roles in training camp and the preseason when he was vying against fellow UDFA rookie Silas Bolden and Rondale Moore, a veteran who unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury in an exhibition after he rehabbed one all of 2024 in Atlanta and was brought in by the Vikings to try and re-establish his early career promise. And Price's supreme belief in himself enabled him to stroll into Soldier Field on Monday Night Football and make his NFL debut without a hiccup, returning four punts (plus two kickoffs) for 9, 20, 17 and 22 yards.

It's not the only attribute of his that stands out, though. So does his vision and juice. Price sees the field well and almost always makes the first defender miss. Both are backbones of a potentially great returner.

Now, let's crunch the numbers to identify Price's rank in history and his future value to the Vikings.

Checking in right underneath the 2025 NFL median punt return average of 10.2 yards, Price's final mark of 9.9 wasn't extraordinary — but it was the best by a Viking in seven seasons! Marcus Sherels held the gig from 2011-18 and set the franchise bar at 15.2 yards in 2015 and averaged 12.0 before his departure.

Price's average was a cut-and-dried upgrade from his four primary predecessors: Brandon Powell averaged 7.1 in 2024 and 7.8 in 2023; Jalen Reagor 6.4 in 2022; Dede Westbrook 8.3 in 2021; and Mike Hughes 7.4 in 2019. (No one fielded 10-plus punts in 2020; Chad Beebe paced the team with a 4.7 avg.)

Price, until his awkward injury in Week 17, was solid in the kickoff return phase, as well.

Actually, rock solid. He exceeded 130 kickoff return yards on six occasions, the most by a player in one season since electric All-Pro returner Josh Cribbs in 2009 (6), and he tied with Cribbs and six others for the third most all-time. The only better: Chris Carr had eight such games for the Raiders in 2005 on 73 runbacks and MarTay Jenkins had nine for the Cardinals in 2000 via a single-season record 82 attempts.

Price very easily would have topped 200 kickoff return yards in Week 9 at Detroit if his 99-yard TD on a kickoff in the waning seconds of the third quarter stuck and was not nullified by an iffy holding penalty.

Instead, he finished that divisional triumph with 164 and a 32.8-yard average on five kickoff returns, including a 61-yarder that quieted the crowd after the Lions marched down the field for six right quick.

So, the short answer is yes. The long one is Price definitely proved enough for Minnesota to place the kind of confidence in him that he has in himself. His growth as a WR in 2026 will be worth watching, too.

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