Marcus Sherels returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown during the Minnesota Vikings week 3 NFL contest against the Carolina Panthers.
With the offense struggling against a tough Carolina Panthers defense, the Minnesota Vikings are trying to get points on the board any way they can. Considering the squad already got a safety recorded from Danielle Hunter, it looked to be special teams’ turn.
Marcus Sherels is one of the most dangerous punt return specialists in the NFL. Despite not being a regular presence on defense, he earns his way on to the Minnesota roster each and every year by excelling on special teams, where he has made some big plays in the past.
Thankfully, those big plays aren’t just history for the Vikings, as Sherels showed why the team trusts him to give the offense help as a punt returner during the Sunday, September 25, 2016 week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Here is the play as shared by the official Minnesota Vikings Twitter account:
Marcus Sherels gets the first #Vikings TD of the day on a 54-yard punt return. pic.twitter.com/gzReFdMNVr
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 25, 2016
Just like the current trend in the NFL, the punt was a bit on the shorter side, but high. This is supposed to allow the coverage team to get to the return man and stop him before he can gain significant yardage on the return.
However, that was not the case for Sherels. With great blocking in front of him, the Minnesota Vikings punt returner saw the open lanes and used them, picking up some blocks down the field and using his speed and acceleration to go 54 yards for the touchdown.
The offense struggled to get things moving, but thanks to the Danielle Hunter safety and this Marcus Sherels punt return touchdown, the Minnesota Vikings went into halftime only trailing by 2 points.
Next: Full game-by-game 2016 Vikings season preview
It is refreshing as a fan of the Minnesota Vikings to know that if one phase of the game is struggling for the team, that the other two can pick up the pace and help to cover for the deficiencies. And with Marcus Sherels returning punts, that assistance could come at any time.