Schmidt’s Week 5 game grades: Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
Minnesota Vikings special teams grade: B-
The Vikings’ special teams were busy last night. But two plays highlight the special teams’ night. One was a negative and one was a positive play.
The negative play by the special teams came when the Bears ran a fake punt which caught the Vikings completely off guard. The Bears’ punter found their third-string running back for a 38-yard touchdown which made the score 10-9.
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The positive play was game winning field goal by Kai Forbath. Forbath has struggled on the year, but came through for the Vikings, making a 26-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in the game. The field goal capped off the night for Forbath who went two for two on field goals and extra points.
Ryan Quigley had another strong performance for the Vikings as he had six punts for 258 yards, including two punts that went inside the 20-yard line. Quigley has been a strong piece of the Vikings’ special teams.
Marcus Sherels had his best game returning punts as he had three returns for 41 yards. Sherels was able to find space on Monday night. His longest return was for 21 yards.
Next: Top 3 takeaways from the Vikings' Week 5 win
Overall, the Vikings’ special teams played a key part in the victory with Forbath making all his kicks. The special teams will look to clean up and be more alert for fake punts after they were exposed by the Bears.