6 most surprising Vikings of the 2019 season so far

Dan Bailey – K

It’s hard to even fathom that I’m writing this, but Dan Bailey is quietly having a very solid season and that isn’t just surprising, that is downright shocking.

Bailey has actually been surprising the Purple since August. The Vikings traded for kicker/punter Karre Vedvik and most seemed to think the writing was on the wall for Bailey.

But instead of buckling under the pressure, the competition woke Bailey up and he returned to being the reliable kicker he once was for the Dallas Cowboys. He went on to have a solid preseason and when all was said and done, Minnesota owned their mistake and cut Vedvik, making Bailey their kicker once again.

Bailey has been quite good this season. He has hit 8-of-9 field goals and 16-of-17 extra points this year. One of those extra points was almost a 50-yard attempt too after a couple of penalties pushed it back. Bailey’s longest made field goal this season is from 50 yards out, so his leg still has plenty of juice in it.

Now no Vikings fan still isn’t going to be relaxed or fully comfortable when Bailey lines up for a field goal attempt from here on out. But if he can continue to hit field goals at the rate he currently is, he’ll be the reason the team wins some close games this year instead of losing them.