Will Reichard Is the Backup Generator For A Sputtering Offense

Through three games, the Minnesota Vikings’ leading scorer hasn’t been on their offense; he’s been on their special teams. Will Reichard is Alabama’s all-time leading scorer with 547 points, which also sets the all-time FBS scoring record. He has led the Vikings with 27 points this season.

“I think just the preparation that I put in,” Reichard said about the source of his confidence. “Work really hard throughout the offseason to go out there and not really think about anything and trust my technique.”

Whatever that technique is, it has paid off for the 25-year-old. He’s one of the main reasons why the Vikings are 3-0. Every time they can get the ball within his career-high 62 yards, he’s money from deep. Reichard’s kicking is especially crucial for a team that is struggling on offense.

Will Reichard from 62!

CINvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/YWSP6TFHnJ

— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025

“It is really something,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell on Reichard’s performance. “You start to feel like you’re getting Steph Curry open for a three-pointer…that’s why we got him. We think we have the best kicker in football.”

In total offense, the Vikings rank dead last in the NFL, averaging 238 yards per game. On third-down tries, they only have a 30% conversion rate.

“We gotta get a lot better on offense,” O’Connell said after the game. “From a standpoint of just doing some routine things and taking advantage of some opportunities when we have them.”

Fortunately, Reichard is there to “etch off points,” as O’Connell put it. You only need so much offense to get into Reichard’s range. So Reichard is a great safety net, as Kyler Murray adapts to the Vikings offense.

Reichard, the 2025 first-team All-Pro, isn’t just breaking college records but also NFL records. In 2025, he became the first NFL kicker in NFL history to kick four 59-plus-yard field goals in a single season. He also became the second in NFL history to make 19 50-plus-yard field goals in his first two seasons as a professional.

Most kickers are selected late in the draft, and the Vikings nabbed Reichard from a draft-day trade with the New York Jets that acquired them the 10th pick and the 203rd pick. They took J.J. McCarthy at 10, and Reichard was available at 203. So, perhaps the silver lining to the McCarthy saga is that they got Reichard with the other pick acquired from the Jets.

Reichard also doesn’t miss extra points. He is 75 for 75, with most of those kicks coming from at least 33 yards out. Yesterday, he had to kick one from 48 yards after an excessive-celebration 15-yard penalty on Minnesota’s first punt-return touchdown in nearly a decade.

Nonetheless, Will the Thrill is still on his rookie deal. Given his track record since arriving in Minnesota, this should be a no-brainer extension for general manager Nolan Teasley. Reichard appears to have fully recovered from his quad injury. Every time you see him about to kick, it’s a positive sign for Vikings fans. Fans who haven’t had good luck with kickers in clutch situations.

Reichard has also only missed two kicks in his NFL career. Some conspiracists/people who can see what’s clearly happening on video footage claim the ball hit wires used for NFL broadcasting technology during last season. If you look closely at videos of both missed kicks against the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025, it looks like the wires altered the pigskin’s flight path.

Wow: Looks like #Vikings K Will Reichard hit the wire on the sky cam during his missed 51 yard field goal earlier today. That was Reichard’s first miss on the season, and was a crucial moment in the game.

(@realmnsportsfan)pic.twitter.com/5BOtJW1okR

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 6, 2025

We are witnessing the greatest Vikings kicker since Gary Anderson. It’s time Will Reichard gets recognized as one of the NFL’s recent greats, like Justin Tucker and Brandon Aubrey. And in this Minnesota offense, unless Kyler Murray starts developing better chemistry with his receiving corps, Reichard will keep getting plenty of opportunities to kick.

It’s also an added plus that he plays indoors and has a divisional matchup in Detroit every year. Still, Reichard has fully earned the title of Mr. Automatic and is already a household name on the surging Vikings special teams unit.

$$$$$$$$

Best in the business @WillReichard 🤴 pic.twitter.com/oW1gB5vL6y

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 5, 2026

A future Hall of Famer and Harrison Smith.

📸: Vikings pic.twitter.com/3BcMARuaM1

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) October 5, 2026

Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard received a roaring standing ovation from fans at U.S. Bank Stadium during the October 4, 2026 game against the Miami Dolphins.

The incredible reception occurred during the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter when Reichard was showcased on the stadium's giant videoboards. He earned the massive applause after accounting for all 15 points by going a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts (hitting from 47, 50, 33, 41, and 29 yards) to secure a narrow 15-10 victory over Miami.

Harrison Smith on Will Reichard: "He's the man. He's a stone cold killer. That's it. I don't know what else to say about him. And he didn't have to become that. He walked in the door like that. It's pretty cool to watch. ... I don't know what he does in his off time, but he's got ice in his veins."

— Lindsey Young @LindseyMNSports Oct 5, 2026

𝕏 X / Twitter — Lindsey Young @LindseyMNSports

Harrison Smith on Will Reichard: "He's the man. He's a stone cold killer. That's it. I don't know what else to say about him. And he didn't have to become that. He walked in the door like that. It's pretty cool to watch. ... I don't know what he does in his off time, but he's got ice in his veins."

View on X

Total points this season-

Vikings offense: 36

Will Reichard: 42

📸: Alli Rusco pic.twitter.com/LwSYmjSdxN

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) October 5, 2026

I have a feeling I’ll be posting this video every Monday of the season. pic.twitter.com/EEJFfHk14Q

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) October 5, 2026

#Vikings K Will Reichard has made the most FG’s (12) this season.

(Via @PFF) pic.twitter.com/WSs2vO96do

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 5, 2026

Zimmer hated kickers and the stress he put on them ruined them. https://t.co/RENsgTNRPY

— Vikeologist™ (@Vikeologist) October 10, 2026

Zimmer was his own worst enemy

“Reichard spends much of his time running short sprints and agility ladders. He also runs stadium steps and performs lifts like squats and power cleans with a focus on explosiveness.”

-@BenGoessling on Will Reichard’s workout process to gain distance on kicks.

— SleeperVikings (@SleeperVikings) October 10, 2026

Trash talk The Thrill at your own peril....bitch....

😂 pic.twitter.com/dapDpJoy90

— Sean Borman (@SeanBormanNFL) October 12, 2026

K @WillReichard's 40-yard field goal extended his streak of consecutive field goals made to 32, passing Fuad Reveiz (31) for the second-longest streak in Vikings history.#MINvsNO pic.twitter.com/lJBr9c7gZl

— Vikings Communications (@VikingsPR) October 11, 2026

It's actually 34 now.

Two more & he surpasses Gary Anderson (35)

Updated 2026 scoring totals:

Vikings offense- 50

Will Reichard- 53

📸: Alli Rusco pic.twitter.com/P0rmKIHzsb

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) October 11, 2026

He’s also on pace for a whopping 180 total points which would be second most in NFL history (LaDanian Tomlinson had 186 in 2006) and 9 more than the kicking record held by Jason Meyers (171 in 2025). https://t.co/u5bQlxn8oA

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) October 12, 2026

15/15. Will’s too good to keep track of. https://t.co/PyXFZ8KCl4

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 12, 2026

Atta boy Will pic.twitter.com/BR6yehMo15

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 12, 2026