As kicking mystery lingers, Vikings coach says Reichard never misses that bad

Kevin O'Connell didn't see it if it happened

Head coach Kevin O'Connell says he's still not sure what happened, but he did note that Reichard typically doesn't miss as badly as he did on that attempt.

"I did not notice it. I did not see it in the moment. I would defer to the league on if that's something that there should be some protocols in place that I should know about," O'Connell began.

"But other than maybe somebody in the booth alerting me that they saw it, or Will himself is going to be a critical guy in that moment, but a lot of times a kicker is a lot like a golf swing, they're keeping their head down and they might not see it initially. He told me he thought he hit it well, and Will doesn't end up that far off line, historically, since our time having him here. But yeah, not really sure what to say on that one other than that was unfortunate if it did happen, and if it didn't, so be it."

The NFL protocol situations involving the ball making contact with things not included in the field of play state: “If a loose ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot.”

So, if the ball had hit the camera wire and the officials had seen it, the play would've been nullified and Reichard would've been given another attempt.

Something similar happened in the 2022-23 NFC Championship between the Eagles and 49ers when Brett Kern's punt for Philadelphia appeared to deflect off a camera wire. The officials wound up reviewing the punt, but the video evidence was inconclusive. Philadelphia crushed the 49ers 31-7 before losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, so the wire controversy didn't last more than a few minutes.

Had the Vikings lost to the Browns on Sunday, Reichard's kick would be scrutinized much more than it already has been. Fortunately, the Vikings won 21-17, and they can put the mystery to bed while knowing what to watch for on all kicks going forward.

More from Vikings On SI