The Vikings have scored 51 points in their first three games, defeating Washington, 19-16, and Carolina, 16-13, and losing to Chicago, 19-16. Kicker Ryan Longwell accounted for 33 of those points on eight field goals, three extra points and one touchdown pass.
Longwell field goals won the first two games for the Vikings and he nearly had the opportunity to tie last Sunday’s game against the Bears and send it into overtime. With the Vikings offensively challenged so far, they have used Longwell’s leg and a solid defense to build a successful start to the season.
Longwell’s touchdown pass off a fake field goal and then his field goal in overtime led the Vikings to their win over Carolina. His performance earned him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the sixth time in his 10 year career.
Does Longwell work on his passing? “I would say the word work maybe a little strong,” he answered. “I certainly catch balls for (Chris) Kluwe when he is punting and throw them back so I am always throwing the ball around. But to say I am actually work on my passing might be an overstatement.”
Now that fans have seen the pass on a fake field goal, when do they see the run? “We got a little bag of tricks,” Longwell said. “You just never know when we’re going to pull something out. So we’ll have a lot of things up our sleeve, so just keep watching.”