Myles Price had a feeling Sunday was going to be his day.
“Today[‘s] gonna be the day! It’s gonna happen.”
That pregame nap turned into a game-changing moment for the Minnesota Vikings, who leaned on special teams to get past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and move to 3-0. With the offense struggling and the defense doing its usual damage, Will Reichard’s three long field goals mattered. But Price’s punt return for a touchdown was the swing play - the one that forced Tampa Bay to play from behind and let Brian Flores’ defense keep dictating terms.
It was Minnesota’s first punt-return touchdown since Marcus Sherels took one back in 2016.
Buccaneers punter Riley Dixon put together a solid kick from the Bucs’ 45-yard line, sending the ball 41 yards to Minnesota’s 14 and hanging it in the air for roughly 4.6 seconds. That kind of punt usually gives coverage enough time to close the space, and Dixon also angled it toward the near sideline to limit Price’s room.
It was a good punt. It just wasn’t good enough.
The return started with the jammers, and that’s where the play was set up. WR Tai Felton got inside position on his man right away, forcing the gunner to take a wider path to the returner.
CB Charles Demmings did the same on the other side, though his gunner still got a step on him. Even so, the punt was directed away from that side, which took away the far-side gunner’s real shot at making the tackle.
Minnesota’s coverage disruption did enough, but third-year safety Jay Ward was the key piece that opened the door. Ward worked back with the gunners and jammers, found a target, then at the last instant turned into Bucs long snapper Evan Deckers and hit him with his shoulder. That block gave Price two clean lanes.
From there, Price made the right read. He darted left after Ward’s block, partly because three purple jerseys could help him there, while the right side had Buccaneers bodies with open angles. Then he gave himself a little more room with a slight cut back to the right after Vikings linebacker Chaz Chambliss kept a defender out of the lane, before making a sharper move toward the near sideline to avoid Bucs linebacker Christian Rozeboom.
Then the speed took over. Price’s 4.43 wheels did the rest, and Minnesota had a 9-0 lead it never gave back.
What makes the touchdown stand out is how cleanly the whole thing came together. The jammers handled their assignments.
The rest of the return unit bought Price time. Ward’s block created the runway.
And Price finished it with the burst and patience to turn a solid setup into six.
For a special teams group that had been maligned, it was execution at its finest. It also gave special teams coordinator Matt Daniels a 37th birthday gift he won’t forget. More importantly for Minnesota, it left the Vikings with a real game-breaking threat at punt returner and a special teams unit that has looked much more disciplined through the first three games.
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Estimes workout gives Minnesota another Broncos-linked roster question to monitor, especially as the Vikings keep an eye on the kind of backfield move that can quietly matter when injuries pile up. Delarrin Turner-Yell also had a tryout with New Orleans, and a number of other former Broncos have been moving through recent signings and auditions around the league, but the Vikings next decision on Estime is the one worth watching most closely. [Read more 🡒]
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Vikings Win Streak Is Hiding A Bigger Kevin OConnell Problem
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The issues only look bigger in the wake of Justin Jeffersons absence, since Minnesota has struggled to generate anything consistent without its top target. The most recent game brought the Vikings lowest offensive success rate in 20 seasons, and the club now sits last in the league in total yards per game, leaving OConnell with a much tougher problem than the win-loss column suggests. [Read more 🡒]