Myles Price’s kick returns for the Vikings have become must-watch plays with a big impact on winning

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The special teams for the Minnesota Vikings have had a major influence on their undefeated start, hidden a bit behind the headline-making dominance by the defense.

The impact goes well beyond Will Reichard’s perfect mark on field goals and extra points, too. Myles Price returning punts and kickoffs has become a must-see moment in every game, for both fans and players.

“I call him ‘MP4.’ He’s music to my ears every time I watch him,” Vikings running back Aaron Jones said, cleverly combining Price’s initials and jersey number to mimic the shorthand for a digital multimedia file. “Just everything I thought he could be.”

Price, the smallest player on the team at 5-foot-9, has flourished in his second year in the NFL in filling a vital role the Vikings have historically received minimal production from. He’s the only player in the league who has scored on a punt return this season, leading the pack with an average of 21.6 yards per attempt. He’s also second with an average of 29.8 yards per kickoff return.

Even when he hasn’t taken a kick all the way back, Price has continually put the Vikings in prime field position. He has punt returns of 36 and 43 yards and kickoff returns of 47 and 68 yards over the first five games, plus the 86-yard runback that reached the end zone in Week 3 at Tampa Bay. That was the first punt return touchdown for the Vikings in 10 years.

“You can feel the vibe for sure, just my team constantly letting me know who I am and me believing in myself,” said Price, who signed with the Vikings as an undrafted rookie out of Indiana last season. “I just try to do my job. I know any play that involves me with the ball in my hands is a play that could go all the way, so I just kind of keep that on my shoulder.”

With only modest production as a wide receiver and minimal experience with kick returns over four years at Texas Tech, before he had 23 punt returns for Indiana in 2024, Price was not a highly sought-after prospect around the league, even in the scramble after the draft as teams try to fill their rosters with under-the-radar finds. Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels had identified Price as a player of interest, though, and quickly urged the personnel department to add him.

His success this season, too, is another example of the positive influence that Daniels has had on the special teams units. Price praised his coaching points about how to effectively set up the blocking for his returns — “get it in, get it out” is the guiding principle — by first veering inside to the middle of the field before cutting back out toward the sideline.

On the opening kickoff in Week 4 against Miami that Price returned 47 yards, he did just that.

“That’s been the biggest growth from him, his ability to set up blocks,” Daniels said. “To see that from him, it just shows the work that we’re putting in is starting to see the practice execution leading to game reality.”

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