Vikings standout rookie returner injured on opening kickoff against Lions

Myles Price suffered an apparent ankle injury on the first play of Thursday's game.

Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Myles Price (4) carries the ball on a kickoff return against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half during an NFL International Series game at Croke Park. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Vikings rookie return specialist Myles Price, who has had a solid season, might have seen his debut NFL campaign come to an end on the first play of Thursday's contest.

To begin their Christmas Day game against the Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings elected to receive — as they've done multiple times in recent weeks when winning the coin toss. Price received the opening kickoff, but as he was sprinting forward, he appeared to slip and fall down at the 25 yard-line.

When Price didn't immediately get up, it became clear that it wasn't just a slip. He remained down and was looked at by medical personnel for a bit, with head coach Kevin O'Connell also standing nearby. Eventually, Price was able to leave the field with assistance, and he seemed to be favoring his left ankle while doing so. The Vikings have since announced that Price has an ankle injury and is questionable to return to the game.

The Vikings went three and out on the ensuing possession. Then, after forcing a defensive stop, it was Jalen Nailor who was deep on the Lions' punt.

Price, an undrafted rookie out of Indiana, has emerged as a quality return specialist for the Vikings this season. He came into this game with 1,753 combined kickoff and punt return yards, which is second-most in the NFL behind only the Titans' Chimere Dike. 1,455 of those are on kick returns, where he's averaged a solid 26 yards a pop (which is right around league average). He's also averaged 9.9 yards a pop on a league-high 30 punt returns.

Price's numbers could be much higher if not for numerous big returns that have come back due to penalties on his teammates. That includes a would-be 99-yard kick return touchdown that was negated by penalty in the first meeting between the Vikings and Lions.

Despite showing some real burst and explosiveness as a return, Price's rookie season has also included some key errors. He's fumbled four times and lost three of them, including key ones against the Ravens and the Packers. The latter was a brutal play where a punt bounced off of him in the Vikings' loss at Lambeau Field.

Still, Price has likely done enough to cement himself as the Vikings' kick and punt returner of the future. He's also played a handful of offensive snaps this season and could perhaps be more of an option in that phase as he develops.