What is wrong with the Minnesota Vikings special teams?

Why is it going wrong?

For as much as the turnover on the defensive side of the ball for the Vikings has been talked about this year, there hasn’t been much chatter about all the new faces on Minnesota’s special teams.

Rookies and reserve players typically make up a special teams unit in the NFL and this is the case for the Vikings this season. However, Minnesota’s current mix of special teamers appears to mostly feature guys who don’t have a ton of experience in the league.

During the last few years, the Vikings had players who were a part of their special teams unit for several seasons. Guys like Jayron Kearse, Kentrell Brothers, Marcus Sherels, Anthony Harris, and Eric Wilson all spent a number of games during the past few years as a part of Minnesota’s special teams.

Kearse, Brothers, and Sherels are no longer with the Vikings and both Harris and Wilson have seen their importance on defense increase, so their snaps on special teams have gone way down.

Instead, Minnesota is relying on guys like Dan Chisena, K.J. Osborn, Todd Davis, Josh Metellus, D.J. Wonnum, and Troy Dye to make plays for them on special teams. Most of these players are rookies, so experience is lacking and it has resulted in some pretty abysmal moments from the Vikings special teams this season.