EAGAN, Minn. — One critical blocked field goal and one conference award.
Vikings second-year defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez was honored Wednesday morning as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his effort at Detroit, which also included his first career sack.
That's a trifecta.
Rodriguez played 17 snaps overall (11 on defense) in Minnesota's 27-24 Week 9 upset of the Lions. He tallied his first sack as a pro on his first defensive rep at Ford Field, beating Detroit center Graham Glasgow and bearhugging quarterback Jared Goff for a loss of 6 at the 4:04 mark in the opening quarter.
It was Rodriguez's contribution in the third phase of the game, though, that earned him the accolades.
With six-and-a-half minutes remaining Sunday and Minnesota clinging to a 24-17 advantage, Lions kicker Jake Bates lined up for a 45-yard field goal try to trim the Vikings lead to four points. Rodriguez didn't allow it. He fired off the ball, barged his 6-foot-2, 307-pound body into a slim gap between the left guard and long snapper and shot his arms above his head like a person guarding against a bucket in basketball.
And then, WHAM!
The kick ricocheted off Rodriguez's right wrist, deflected again off teammate Elijah Williams' left hand and bounced off the turf into the cradle of cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who ran it 41 yards to Detroit's 26.
Suddenly, field position was flipped, and the Lions were farther away from a possible comeback. Seven plays later, after chewing up almost half the clock, the Vikings capitalized on Rodriguez's block with their own field goal, a 20-yard chip shot for Will Reichard that extended Minnesota's edge to 10 with 3:33 left.
A play of that caliber in a moment of that magnitude? Yeah, that deserves special attention.
Rodriguez is now the second non-kicker/punter for the Vikings since Kevin O'Connell was named head coach in 2022 to win NFC POTW honors for his feat(s) on special teams. He joined the club's former return specialist, Kene Nwangwu, who claimed the award back in Week 12 of O'Connell's debut season.
Additionally, the 25-year-old Rodriguez, always an energizing force, is the ninth non-specialist and second defender in franchise history to be decorated with the ST distinction, joining RB Moe Williams (1999), WR Aundrae Allison (2007), WR Percy Harvin (2009, 2010), WR Cordarralle Patterson (2013), WR Adam Thielen (2014), CB Marcus Sherels (2015), RB Mike Boone (2020) and Nwangwu (2021, 2022).
O'Connell was quick to praise Rodriguez's deeds after the statement victory in the Motor City, noting it was the difference in winning the turnover battle, breaking the tie over a Vikings INT and a Lions fumble.
Sunday marked the 10th career game for Rodriguez, who was drafted in the 7th Round in 2024 out of Texas A&M-Commerce. His block is one of 15 during NFL field goal attempts this season and the first ever suffered by Bates. Rodriguez blocked one kick in 2021 for Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
Minnesota has blocked two field goals so far in 2025, tied with Philadelphia and Houston for tops in the league. (Rodgers denied one in Ireland versus Pittsburgh.) It's Minnesota's first time with two since 2012.
17 NFC Players of the Week under O'Connell in 59 games
2025 Week 9 at Detroit: Levi Drake Rodriguez, DL (Special Teams)
2025 Week 3 vs. Cincinnati: Isaiah Rodgers, CB (Defensive)
2025 Week 1 at Chicago: J.J. McCarthy, QB (Offensive)
2024 Week 16 at Seattle: Andrew Van Ginkel, OLB (Defensive)
2024 Week 14 vs. Atlanta: Sam Darnold, QB (Offensive)
2024 Week 3 vs. Houston: Jonathan Greenard, OLB (Defensive)
2023 Week 14 at Las Vegas: Ivan Pace, Jr., LB (Defensive)
2023 Week 9 at Atlanta: Joshua Dobbs, QB (Offensive)
2023 Week 7 vs. San Francisco: Camryn Bynum, S (Defensive)
2023 Week 6 at Chicago: Jordan Hicks, LB (Defensive)
2022 Week 16 vs. New York Giants: Greg Joseph, K (Special Teams)
2022 Week 15 vs. Indianapolis: Kirk Cousins, QB (Offensive)
2022 Week 12 vs. New England: Kene Nwangwu, RB/KR (Special Teams)
2022 Week 10 at Buffalo: Justin Jefferson, WR (Offensive)
2022 Week 8 vs. Arizona: Za'Darius Smith, OLB (Defensive)
2022 Week 6 at Miami: Ryan Wright, P (Special Teams)
2022 Week 4 vs. New Orleans in London: Greg Joseph, K (Special Teams)
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