The Viking Age
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Minnesota Vikings stock market report: Week 1 at Titans

By Jordan Wright

Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; General view of the coin toss before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; General view of the coin toss before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) kicks the ball as Tennessee Titans defensive back Valentino Blake (47) defends at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) kicks the ball as Tennessee Titans defensive back Valentino Blake (47) defends at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean-USA TODAY Sports /

Stock Down: The Kickers

We’ve all heard about the missed kick by Blair Walsh in the playoffs last year. While the miss wasn’t as heart-breaking as the one in 1998, it still eliminated Minnesota from the playoffs, and Vikings fans will be hearing about it for a while.

Today did nothing to alleviate the fears of Vikings fans world-wide.

Walsh made four field goals on the day, but he also missed two, in addition to the missed extra point. A 66.7 percentage is unacceptable for a kicker in the NFL, and that figure doesn’t even include the miss that wasn’t counted because the Titan’s coach attempted to “freeze” Walsh.

Jeff Locke wasn’t any better for Minnesota, as the punter averaged only 37.7 yards and virtually no hang time on his three punts. Until the Vikings can prove to opposing defenses that they can complete passes down field, defenses will continue to load the line of scrimmage to stop Peterson. The punter will be vitally important when the Vikings can’t move the ball on the ground, and Locke needs to do better than 37.7 yards.

If the special teams don’t improve drastically, they will lose a game or two for the Vikings this season. I have faith that Blair Walsh will improve upon his season debut, but I’m not so sure about Locke.

Next: Stock up for another sophomore

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