Vikings punter Ryan Wright named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

MINNEAPOLIS - It’s not very often that talking about a punter is a positive in the NFL, but that’s the case with Ryan Wright as the Minnesota Vikings are on their bye week.

Wright was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sunday for his role in the Vikings’ 24-16 win over the Dolphins in Miami to improve to 5-1 on the season. Wright punted 10 times, averaging 44.1 yards per attempt and had seven of them downed at or inside the Miami 20-yard line. That’s the most by any Viking since 2000.

He also boomed a career-long 73-yard punt in the first quarter as the Vikings’ offense struggled out of the gate with four consecutive 3-and-outs. It’s the seventh-longest punt in franchise history, and third-longest in the NFL this season.

Through six games, Wright is averaging 45 yards per punt and has had 15 punts inside the 20-yard line, which is second-most in the NFL this season. Wright also executed a perfect fake punt for a first down during the Vikings’ win over the New Orleans Saints in London. Wright beat out Jordan Berry for the punting job during training camp.

He’s the third Vikings’ punter to win the special teams award, and first since Chris Kluwe in 2020. Two weeks ago, Greg Joseph won the award after five field goals against the Saints. 

Coming out of their bye week, the Vikings host the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 30 at U.S. Bank Stadium, a game you can watch on Fox 9.