It’s the forgotten third arm of football. Of course offense is glamorous, and defense supplies the grit, but the Minnesota Vikings’ special teams unit has been the glue that’s held the team together through a rocky five weeks. Minnesota has been near dominant in every facet of special teams this season, and it’s all been thanks to one man.
While Brian Flores often gets credited as a top coordinator in the league and is under constant promotion watch, Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels has been equally valuable in 2025. Not only is he the team’s turnover specialist, advising the defense on their best Mike Tyson impression, but he has also brought back to life a unit that has plagued Minnesota since the beginning of time.
When Kevin O’Connell named Matt Daniels his special teams coordinator in his first year as head coach, the move didn’t turn a lot of heads. Daniels wasn’t a big name or an especially flashy hire. He was a former player with only three years of coaching experience and was relatively raw at 33 years old.
Fast-forward to Week 6 in 2025, and Minnesota has the second-ranked special teams unit, according to PFF, and cornerstone players at kicker and returner. The Vikings have been anything but consistent this year, but Daniels and his group have been far and away the closest thing to steadying the team has among the three phases.
Until his missed kick on Sunday, which a stray camera wire appeared to block, Will Reichard was one of a handful of kickers still perfect on the season. While his miss still counts in the record book, it doesn’t in our hearts, and the Vikings have undoubtedly found a franchise kicker. Reichard already has the franchise record for the longest made field goal in only his second season; he’s doing it all in Minnesota. You know – the place where all kickers go to die.
Whatever voodoo magic Daniels is doing is working, and he’s stabilized the position for years to come.
While kicker is settled for the next decade, the Vikings don’t employ much of a punter. Instead, they have someone who can hold for Will Reichard. Or so we thought.
Ryan Wright probably should’ve been beaten out in camp by Aussie Oscar Chapman had he been able to handle the holding duties better. However, Wright is second in the NFL in average net punt yards heading into the bye. He’s also the proud owner of the longest punt of the year with a monstrous 77-yard boot. So how did Wright go from 23rd in net average in 2024 to second in 2025?
Daniels says Wright has always had the skill, but he’s working on all the little things now.
I think the biggest thing is the talent has always been there for him, and it’s just been more so about locking in on his technique. And if we just continue to stack those days of having a single focus on what we’re trying to work on, you know, I think that’s really been the biggest thing because the guy has elite leg strength. He’s just got to lock in on those small, minute details in order to execute on an elite level. And he’s kind of had some success doing that – not even kind of – he’s had success doing that.
Even the return game, which ranked near dead last in 2024, is surprisingly thriving. The first of the 875 injuries the Vikings have suffered this season was to reserve wide receiver and starting punt returner Rondale Moore in the preseason opener. Daniels and the Vikings then put all their chips on Myles Price, a rookie, who wasn’t even a lock for the 53-man roster. But Price has impressed early on, and Daniels has never wavered in his support of the young returner whom they thrust into the spotlight.
“I feel really confident in Myles being that dual returner,” said Daniels ahead of the season. “He didn’t do too much kick returning in college; he was more of a punt returner. But he has that running back feel to him, and really a running back build to him, and kind of a sneaky tackle breaker. So you feel good about him being back there as a kick returner as well.”
Let’s say that one more time: Price didn’t return kickoffs in college. Yet Daniels took a chance on the rookie to handle the dual role, who now sits second in the league in total return yards through five games.
Kick and punt return coverage has also been reliable. The Vikings have already blocked a field goal and have yet to allow a punt or kick return longer than 34 yards.
While KOC and Flores may get most of the coaching headlines, Daniels has risen to become one of the top special teams coordinators in the NFL. Minnesota’s special teams have typically never been the strength of the team. Still, between record-long kicks, blocked field goals, and a promising returner, the unit is the last thing to worry about in a year sure to provide plenty of other headaches.