On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Carolina Panthers 31-13. Despite the lopsided victory, there were some very interesting things in the game, in particular, how the points were scored.
Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater connected with tight end Kyle Rudolph and Greg Jennings for a touchdown each and Blair Walsh made a field goal. The other two touchdowns were scored by the special teams unit.
Nov 30, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) returns a blocked punt for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Adam Thielen made a great play on special teams in the first quarter. He slipped past the Carolina blockers during a punt attempt and blocked the kick. The ball ended up hitting Thielen in the gut, and he fell to the ground. He quickly got to his feet and ran into the end zone for a Minnesota Vikings special teams touchdown. This was the first Vikings block touchdown since 1986, when Issaic Holt did it against the San Francisco 49ers back on October 12, 1986.
But the Vikings weren’t done there.
In the second quarter of the game, the Vikings left their defensive squad on the field during an attempted Panthers punt. Linebacker Jasper Brinkley seemingly had a free run to the punter, blocking the kick. The ball landed on the ground and was scooped up by defensive end Everson Griffen, who ran it in for the score.
After going 459 games straight without a single punt block touchdown, the Minnesota Vikings succeeded in doing it twice against Carolina. Hopefully the Vikings won’t have to wait another 28 years to do it again.
More from The Viking Age
- 6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings history
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022