Minnesota Vikings stock market report: Week 3 vs Carolina

They say football is a game of three parts: offense, defense and special teams. The Minnesota Vikings may not have a great offense, especially with Adrian Peterson out, but they are still undefeated. The biggest reason for the 3-0 start to the season is the defense, but another significant reason is because of special teams.

Jeff Locke had an impressive day. He was called upon seven times to punt, and he averaged 48.4 yards per attempt. Locke also pinned the ball inside the 20-yard line three times and only had one touchback. This was one of the best performances of Locke’s career, and I hope he can continue this production.

Cordarrelle Patterson was able to make some electric plays on special teams, but it wasn’t because of his return abilities. For the first time (that I can think of), the Vikings played Patterson as a gunner on the punt team. Patterson seems to have really taken to the gunner position, as he made multiple plays, including downing a Jeff Locke punt at the two-yard line. Patterson may never develop into a starting-caliber wide receiver, but if he continues to play this well on special teams, he will carve out a nice roll for himself in the NFL.

Marcus Sherels had the best game of anyone on the Vikings’ special teams. Sherels’ punt return for a touchdown really helped turn the tide of the game. When Captain Munnerlyn went down with an injury, the Vikings surprisingly turned to Sherels instead of Mackensie Alexander, and Marcus was able to provide excellent coverage and even had a pass deflection.