Greg Joseph – K
Greg Joseph was the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 4 after knocking down five field goals against the Saints in London. Unfortunately, he couldn’t repeat that performance against the Bears.
Joseph was 0-for-2 on the day against Chicago. He had a miss on a 53-yard attempt at the end of the half that went wide right and then didn’t have a chance on a 51-yard attempt as it was blocked almost as soon as the ball got there.
Joseph’s inconsistency has been a big reason why these Vikings games always go down the wire. If he makes that first kick, it gives Minnesota a two-touchdown lead at the half, but more importantly, it would have given the Vikings momentum back instead of allowing the Bears to believe they are still in this game when they clearly weren’t.
The Vikings are 4-1 finding ways to squeak out close games. If their kicker can be more consistent and start hitting field goals from at least 50 yards out, the end of Minnesota’s games for the second half of the season won’t be nearly as stressful.