73-yard punt earns Vikings' Ryan Wright special teams award
MINNEAPOLIS -- The upside of going 2 for 12 on third down is your punter gets plenty of chances to showcase his leg.
In fact, Vikings punter Ryan Wright's 10-punt performance in Sunday's win over the Miami Dolphins was impressive enough to earn him the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award.
Wright averaged 44 yards a punt on the day. His most stellar kick came in the first quarter, when the Vikings were backed up to their own end zone. He booted it 73 yards to pin the Dolphins at their own 18. Only two punters have registered a longer punt this season.
Wright, an undrafted rookie, is averaging 45 yards a punt on the year. He's landed 15 punts inside the 20 yard line. He also converted a fake punt in the Vikings' win over the New Orleans Saints.
Wright is the second Viking to win the weekly special teams award this year. Kicker Greg Joseph earned it in week four when he made five field goals to lift the Vikings over the Saints.