Kene Nwangwu named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Well, let’s try talking about something relating to football on the field, shall we? It’s even positive news for the Minnesota Vikings!

Rookie running back Kene Nwangwu was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday for his performance in the team’s 34-31 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9.

Nwangwu, playing in just his second NFL game after missing the early portion of the season with an injury, returned two kickoffs for a combined 121 yards on Sunday, including a big 98-yard return for a touchdown to start the second half. He also took a handoff on a fake punt and ran it around the edge for a first down.

The Vikings wound up punting on that possession because, you know, Vikings, but it was still pretty cool.

Nwangwu is the first Viking to be named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week since Mike Boone won the award last season for his performance in a game against the Houston Texans. His 98-yard return was the Vikings’ first kickoff return for a touchdown since Cordarelle Patterson’s last one in 2016, and he is the first Vikings’ rookie to do it since Patterson’s rookie year of 2013.

Congratulations to Kene Nwangwu on winning the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award for Week 9 of the 2021 NFL season!