Vikings Punter Ryan Wright Earns Game Ball With Record-Setting Day vs. Dolphins
No team wants to see its punter sent onto the field ten times in one game. But if that's going to happen, that player has a big opportunity to impact the game by swinging field position and burying the other team deep in their own territory.
In the Vikings' 24-16 victory over the Dolphins on Sunday, rookie Ryan Wright punted ten times for an average of 44.1 yards. Each of his last six punts were caught or downed inside Miami's 20-yard line, and his best punt of the day — a ridiculous 73-yarder — was caught just inches outside the 20.
For his efforts, Wright was given a game ball by Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.
"I'm proud of our special teams, Ryan Wright," O'Connell said. "He worked way too much today obviously with the ten punts, but he got himself a game ball, and hopefully we get him something cold to drink with as much work as he had today."
Wright, an undrafted rookie out of Tulane, beat out veteran Jordan Berry for the Vikings' punting job in training camp. He showed off his huge leg in the preseason finale in Denver, kicking a 68-yarder and a 71-yarder in the altitude.
His second punt on Sunday was even more impressive because it happened outside of the Denver altitude and in a regular season game. Standing in his own end zone, Wright boomed a ball that traveled roughly 80 yards on the fly. It bounced past a retreating Tyreek Hill, who grabbed the bounce and was flung down by Kene Nwangwu for a loss of two yards.
Officially, it was a 73-yard punt for Wright. But that somehow feels like it's underselling how incredible it was. The punt had nearly five full seconds of hangtime and resulted in a 75-yard net gain, the longest in the NFL this season.
Wright's longest punt outside of that one was just 50 yards. But each of his final six punts pinned the Dolphins deep in their own territory and helped out the Vikings' defense.
The numbers are staggering. It's just the ninth time in Vikings history that they've had someone punt nine times, and the first time since Chris Kluwe did it in 2010. Wright's 441 punt yards are the third-most in a single game in franchise history. That's not exactly a great stat from a team perspective, but it shows you how well Wright played in Miami. This was an impressive response from the rookie, who shanked a punt last week and may have helped spark the Bears' comeback.
Although the Vikings will be hoping to use Wright's leg less and less going forward, he's a great weapon to have on special teams.
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