For the second time this season, Vikings kicker Greg Joseph has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, the league announced Wednesday.
Vikings kicker Greg Joseph named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Joseph's franchise-long 61-yard field goal lifted the Vikings over the Giants on Christmas Eve. The kick also earned him an NFC honor for the second time this season.
December 28, 2022 at 2:42PM
Joseph lifted the Vikings over the Giants with a 61-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired in a 27-24 win on Saturday. The kick was the longest in the 62-year history of the franchise, and the second-longest field goal of this NFL season behind only Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's 62-yarder.
On Wednesday, Joseph shared that his best friend's grandfather passed away "within a couple minutes" of Saturday's kick. Joseph said they're like a "second family" to him. He was told "it was one last kick" his friend's grandfather wanted to see.
"A moment I'll remember," Joseph said, "partly because there are bigger things than football."
Coaches had players ready to tackle a Giants returner in case Joseph's kick fell short, but he cleared the cross bar with room to spare.
"I was kind of running downfield and Greg started running the other way," right tackle Brian O'Neill said. "So I was pretty out of breath by the time I caught up to him."
Joseph was previously named conference player of the week after the Vikings' Week 4 win in London against the Saints, in which he kicked five field goals, including a game winner.
He's made 20 straight kicks, last missing in the Nov. 24 win against the Patriots. Joseph has converted 22 of 27 field goals (81.5%) — missing only from beyond 50 yards — and 36 of 41 extra points (87.8%) this season.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
