” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Vikings-Fan.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1180,height=641,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Vikings-Fan.jpg”> J.J. McCarthy stole the show for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football<\/em><\/a>, and nobody disputes it. <\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget who saved the Vikings game on MNF, making the play that kept everything afloat. Here\u2019s how it unfolded and why it proved decisive.<\/strong><\/p>\n The 22-year-old quarterback led an extraordinary 4th Quarter comeback in his first-ever start, toppling the Chicago Bears by a score of 27-24 after trailing 17-6 at one point.<\/p>\n And while McCarthy deserves all his flowers \u2014 and then some \u2014 don\u2019t forget about the man who saved the day before crunchtime: Will Reichard.<\/p>\n Reichard had the juice in Week 1. <\/strong><\/p>\n ” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Will-Reichard.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1180,height=624,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Will-Reichard.jpg” src=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Will-Reichard.jpg” alt=”Will Reichard kicks a field goal against the Bears at Soldier Field.”> Staring down a manageable 10-3 deficit, with the 2nd Quarter near an end, Vikings head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell<\/a> used some curious clock management to line Reichard up for a 59-yard field goal.<\/p>\n The man casually banged it through, making it one of the most underappreciated long-long kicks in Vikings history. Fans were so flustered by the offense\u2019s anemia, that Reichard converting the kick merely felt like breath of fresh air \u2014 not a remarkable<\/em> feat.<\/p>\n The Vikings\u2019 PR team tweeted about the kick<\/a>: \u201cWill Reichard\u2019s 59-yard field goal was the second longest in team history, trailing only Greg Joseph\u2019s 61-yarder vs. NYG in Week 16 of 2022. It also marked the longest field goal in a season opener in team history (Joseph\u2019s 56 vs. GB in 2022).\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the footage if you missed it.<\/p>\n Not only did Reichard\u2019s gem of a kick create his career best, he tied the Soldier Field record<\/em> for the longest field goal, previously held by Matt Prater<\/a>, who Vikings fans will remember with negative memories.<\/p>\n Soldier Field is a terrible venue for kickers, showcasing a shoddy field and \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 wind. It\u2019s often cold, too, which does the kicking game no favors.<\/p>\n But when Minnesota needed Reichard, he stroked the thing from 59 yards away. <\/p>\n Based on the momentum of the game \u2014 basically lack thereof \u2014 had Reichard missed, the contest would\u2019ve felt like one of those Vikings games where everything<\/em> goes wrong. Reichard missing a 59-yarder is certainly forgivable, especially at Soldier Field<\/a>, but his team really<\/em> needed him to smash that kick through the uprights, and he did it.<\/p>\n ” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25191313.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1180,height=797,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25191313.jpg” src=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25191313.jpg” alt=”Kevin O\u2019Connell on the sideline during the Vikings\u2019 NFC wild card game against the Rams.”> That \u2014 and the fact that Minnesota won by [checks notes] three points.<\/p>\n Reichard\u2019s 59-yarder was crucial to keep the team\u2019s morale high and wound up being the decisive transaction on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n In addition to Reichard, McCarthy scripted the rest of the comeback. <\/p>\n He and his offense played like feces for the game\u2019s first three quarters, refusing to convert 3rd Downs while Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen<\/a> confusingly dropped passes. O\u2019Connell seemed to force McCarthy into an underneath, dink-and-dunk offense to get his career started, but when O\u2019Connell put the car in drive, drive<\/em> it did.<\/p>\n ” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27037090.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1180,height=787,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27037090.jpg” src=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27037090.jpg” alt=”J.J. McCarthy rushes for a touchdown against the Bears at Soldier Field.”> McCarthy was unleashed, scoring three touchdowns in the 4th Quarter alone and helping Minnesota topple Chicago for a sixth consecutive time at Soldier Field. <\/p>\n The second-year passer would win the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award two days later. Not bad for a man\u2019s first career start.<\/p>\n Writer Michael Brauner opined<\/a> on Reichard\u2019s MNF performance, \u201cFormer Alabama Crimson Tide and Hoover High School kicker Will Reichard has excelled since being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. Now at the start of the second year of his NFL career, he continues to make his home state proud.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot only was it the longest field goal made by a Crimson Tider, it was tied for the longest field goal made by someone from the state of Alabama, pulling Reichard even with Cincinnati Bengals kicker and former Fort Payne star Evan McPherson<\/a>, who made a 59-yarder during the 2022 season.\u201d<\/p>\n The entirety of Minnesota\u2019s special teams performed adeptly on Monday, especially the punt return unit.<\/p>\n ” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/USATSI_24941769.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1180,height=787,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/USATSI_24941769.jpg” src=”https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/USATSI_24941769.jpg” alt=”Will Reichard looks on before the Vikings\u2019 game against the Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium.”> Brauner added, \u201cReichard and McPherson will be battling for the record for years to come. However, Reichard has a lock on making folks in Tuscaloosa proud, as Alabama kickers do not have a storied history in the NFL. Previously, Van Tiffin was the only Alabama alumnus to make a 50-yard field goal, accomplishing the feat in 1987.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf Reichard can continue his early success, he has a chance to become the best Crimson Tide NFL kicker in history. The way things are going for him now, it certainly would not be a surprise if that proved to be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Reichard appears to be back to form after a slow finish to the 2024 campaign following his quad injury<\/a> that tossed him on injured reserve for a month. <\/p>\n <\/main><\/p>\n<\/div>\nFootball Vikings Kicker Drilled an Unsung Kick That Should Not Be Forgotten<\/h2>\n
Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) kicks a field goal against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Will Reichard Kept Everything Afloat<\/h3>\n
A Record-Tying Kick<\/h3>\n
Doomsday if He Missed<\/h3>\n
Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n
J.J. McCarthy Did the Rest<\/h3>\n
Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) rushes for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
More Context on Reichard<\/h3>\n
Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) looks on before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n
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