RandBall: Ranking the Vikings’ 11 placekickers since Gary Anderson

Everything with Vikings rookie kicker Will Reichard was perfect through seven games.

A little too perfect, as it turns out (and as cynical Vikings fans secretly suspected). The rookie hadn’t missed a kick through seven games, splitting the uprights with such regularity that every kick seemed routine.

Then he missed two in a win over the Colts on Sunday. The good news? He missed them because he was not 100% healthy. The bad news? He had to go on injured reserve as a result and will miss at least four games.

In his place, John Parker Romo — who has never attempted an NFL kick — will try to keep things going for the 6-2 Vikings. Fans are understandably frustrated and nervous about this latest twist in the Vikings’ kicking history.

To understand how we got here, I decided to rank the 11 kickers the Vikings have employed since 2002, Gary Anderson’s final season.

Anderson was nearly automatic, especially from inside 40 yards, except for the 1998 NFC title game when he suffered his first miss at the absolute worst time and gave fans a thick layer of scar tissue.

In order of worst to best, here are the rest of those who have kicked for the Vikings since the start of 2002.

Daniel Carlson (2018): He was only here for two games. In one of them, the rookie missed three field goals at Lambeau Field. Carlson has made 89.3% of his field goals with the Raiders since then, which might have put him first instead of last on this list had the Vikings been able to be more patient.

Doug Brien (2002): Like Carlson, a short-timer who had one infamous game. Brien in 2002 missed a field goal and two extra points (back when they were 20-yard chip shots) in an overtime loss to the Bills. Would you like to watch the entire game? You can.

Paul Edinger (2005): He kicked for one full year and missed nine field goals, including a woeful 3-for-8 from between 30 and 39 yards.

Aaron Elling (2003-04): Kicked for the Vikings primarily in 2003 and made 18 of 25 (72%) for a team that lost a lot of close games (including a missed 44-yarder in that infamous 18-17 loss to the Cardinals that knocked the Vikings from the playoffs in the finale).

Dan Bailey (2018-20): Replaced Carlson, making him instantly likeable, but even his made kicks were tenuous enough to earn him the hilarious nickname Dan Barely. He made 79.7% of his field goals during most of three seasons in purple and also missed 11 extra points (a strange curse that extended to his Vikings kicking brethren).

Morten Andersen (2004): An oasis in the mid-2000s kicking desert who made 18 of 22 field goals at the ripe old age of 44. Some fans are still salty that the Vikings eventually employed the kicker who knocked them out of the 1998 NFC title game.

Greg Joseph (2021-23): A decent clutch kicker who was good enough to keep his job for three seasons (82.2% accuracy) but not enough to earn a fourth. Again, it was the extra points (12 misses in three years) plus a strange feeling that he was probably going to miss even if it wasn’t true.

Kai Forbath (2016-17): Underrated Vikings kicker who solidified things in 2016 and was clutch for the 2017 team that went to the NFC title game. He made 88.7% of his field goals but just 84.9% of his extra points, a truly baffling stat that probably led the Vikings to draft Carlson.

Blair Walsh (2012-16): Author of the second-most-infamous miss in Vikings playoff history, but overall Walsh was pretty good (84.2% on field goals, 94.5% on extra points). He had a Reichard-like rookie season in 2012, lest we forget.

Will Reichard (2024): Already second on the list. That’s a commentary on both his level and his competition. Assuming he heals up, Reichard feels like the Vikings’ kicker for the next decade.

Ryan Longwell (2006-11): Gave the Vikings six seasons of extremely stable kicking, making 86% of his field goal tries. They can only hope Reichard gives them stability again.