EAGAN, Minn. – Fans who watched last week's Vikings game in Las Vegas may have noticed that Minnesota had kicker Greg Joseph pop up three of his five kickoffs and land them short of the end zone to prompt returns by the Raiders. Joseph recorded touchbacks on the other two kickoffs.
The first pop-up traveled 59 yards and was returned 14 yards to the 20, but a holding penalty during the return marked the ball at the 10. Advantage Vikings. The ensuing drive ended with a punt with less than 30 seconds left in the first half.
The second pop-up traveled 60 yards and was returned 16 yards to the 21. Again, advantage Vikings by four yards over taking a touchback. That drive, however, ended with a touchdown but only after Minnesota committed an illegal substitution penalty by the punt return team.
The third pop-up traveled 52 yards and was returned 27 yards to the 40. Advantage Raiders. The ensuing possession ended with a Las Vegas touchdown.
Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels was asked about his philosophy toward kickoffs during his media session Thursday. Daniels explained he believes in putting the ball in play in most situations and how data shows it's more than just a roll of the dice by the kicking team.
He considers four outcomes from a kickoff return, with three being positives for the kicking team.
Possible positive outcomes:
· Tackle the returner inside the 25 (spot that would result if a touchback)
· Return team commits a penalty
· Return team fumbles
Possible negative outcome:
· Returner advances the ball past the 25 (this can go from a fairly harmless few yards to a touchdown)
"I did some data research in 2020, as well as in 2019, and it was basically like a 60-percent chance that you tackle them within the 25," Daniels said. "There was a 10-percent chance that there was a penalty on the play, and then there was like a 30-percent chance, 26-, 27-percent chance that they actually returned the football past the 25-yard line, or even get to the 25-yard line.
"So obviously you've got to consider the injury risk factor that comes in that too of trying to protect players, or is it a blowout game? Are we up by 20, 30? So again there's a lot of situational ball that takes place there," Daniels added.
The threat posed by the kickoff returner — like former Viking Cordarrelle Patterson or second-year kickoff returner/running back Kene Nwangwu — also could play a factor.
There's no time like the preseason to let it ride.
Here are all the ways to catch the action.
SIMULCAST TV AND RADIO
KMSP FOX 9 in the Twin Cities
KFAN (100.3-FM), KTLK 1130-AM and the five-state Vikings Radio Network
Kickoff: 6 p.m. (CT)
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen
Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline reporter: Ben Leber
Pre-Game radio show: Hosted by Mike Mussman; starts at 4 p.m.
New this year: Minnesotans will be able to listen to the Vikings Radio Network broadcast through the iHeartRadio app on their smart devices.
View photos of the Vikings 53-man roster as of Jan. 14, 2023.

1 K Greg Joseph

1 K Greg Joseph

2 RB Alexander Mattison

2 RB Alexander Mattison

3 CB Cameron Dantzler

3 Cam Dantzler

4 RB Dalvin Cook

4 RB Dalvin Cook

5 WR Jalen Reagor


7 CB Patrick Peterson

7 CB Patrick Peterson

8 QB Kirk Cousins

8 QB Kirk Cousins

12 QB Nick Mullens

12 QB Nick Mullens

66 P Ryan Wright


17 WR K.J. Osborn

17 WR K.J. Osborn

18 WR Justin Jefferson

18 WR Justin Jefferson

19 WR Adam Thielen

19 WR Adam Thielen



22 S Harrison Smith

22 S Harrison Smith

24 S Camryn Bynum

24 S Camryn Bynum

25 S Theo Jackson

25 S Theo Jackson

26 RB Kene Nwangwu

26 RB Kene Nwangwu

27 CB Kalon Barnes

27 CB Kalon Barnes

29 CB Kris Boyd

29 CB Kris Boyd

30 FB C.J. Ham

30 FB C.J. Ham

32 RB Ty Chandler

32 RB Ty Chandler

33 LB Brian Asamoah

33 LB Brian Asamoah

39 CB Chandon Sullivan

39 CB Chandon Sullivan

42 LS Andrew DePaola

42 LS Andrew DePaola

43 LB Luiji Vilain

43 OLB Luiji Vilain

44 S Josh Metellus

44 S Josh Metellus

45 LB Troy Dye

45 LB Troy Dye

47 LB William Kwenkeu

47 LB William Kwenkeu

54 LB Eric Kendricks


55 LB Za'Darius Smith

55 OLB Za'Darius Smith

56 C Garrett Bradbury

56 C Garett Bradbury

58 LB Jordan Hicks

58 LB Jordan Hicks

62 G/C Chris Reed

62 G/C Chris Reed

63 T Vederian Lowe

63 T Vederian Lowe

64 T Blake Brandel

64 T Blake Brandel

67 G Ed Ingram


71 T Christian Darrisaw

71 T Christian Darrisaw

72 G Ezra Cleveland

72 G Ezra Cleveland

74 G Olisaemeka Udoh

74 G Olisaemeka Udoh

83 WR Jalen Nailor

83 WR Jalen Nailor

84 TE Irv Smith Jr.

84 TE Irv Smith Jr.

86 TE Johnny Mundt

86 TE Johnny Mundt



90 DL Esezi Otomewo


91 OLB Patrick Jones II

91 DE Patrick Jones II

92 DT James Lynch

92 DT James Lynch

93 DL Jonathan Bullard

93 DL Jonathan Bullard

94 DT Dalvin Tomlinson

94 DT Dalvin Tomlinson

95 DL Khyiris Tonga

95 DL Khyiris Tonga

96 DT Ross Blacklock

96 DT Ross Blacklock

97 DL Harrison Phillips

97 DL Harrison Phillips

98 DE D.J. Wonnum

98 DE D.J. Wonnum

99 OLB Danielle Hunter

99 DE Danielle Hunter
TV/RADIO NEAR THE BAY AREA
Fans in the San Francisco Bay Area can watch the game on KPIX 5/CW Bay Area or listen to it on KGO 810-AM or KSAN 107.7-FM.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Click here for the full bevy of options that include over-the-air, cable, satellite, over-the-top and streaming methods.
NFL+ AND NFL+ PREMIUM
Start your free trial of NFL+ today to watch Vikings preseason games live or on-demand.
NFL+ and NFL+ Premium provide all the action when you are on the go. It is available in the NFL app and at NFL.com/plus.
NFL+ is available for $4.99/month or $39.99/year and offers the following:
· Live out-of-market preseason games across devices
· Live local and prime-time regular-season and postseason games on your phone or tablet
· Live game audio (home, away & national calls) for every game of the season
· NFL library programming on-demand, ad-free
NFL+ Premium is available for $9.99/month or $79.99/year and offers all of the NFL+ features and the following:
· Full-game replays across devices (ad-free)
· Condensed game replays across devices (ad-free)
· Coaches film (ad-free)