EAGAN, Minn. – Depending on the coin toss and a coach's decision (and barring a touchback), the first Viking to touch a football Sunday night against the Cowboys could be doing so while making his debut in a regular-season game.
Against his hometown team.
On NBC's Sunday Night Football.
Rookie Kene Nwangwu was activated from Injured Reserve/Designated for Return on Oct. 19 during Minnesota's bye week and is likely to be the kickoff returner, according to Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Ficken.
Nwangwu played two plays in Minnesota's 2021 preseason opener against Denver before leaving with an injury. He was placed on Injured Reserve after the initial 53-man roster was set, allowing him to be designated for return.
"Right now we're planning on Kene, and we've got some other guys back there, but Kene, K.J. Osborn, you know, we've got a good group of guys that can go ahead and handle those duties," Ficken said Thursday.
View photos of Vikings players from practice on Oct. 28 at the TCO Performance Center.
Aside from impressive kickoff returns at Iowa State, the native of Frisco, Texas, is somewhat of an unknown to fans. Coaches have been excited about Nwangwu, with Ficken saying his speed is "electric."
"The way he handles himself in pressure situations, as much as we could [simulate] in practice, just excited to see him go out there and kind of cut it loose a little bit," Ficken said.
While Nwangwu was on the mend, Ameer Abdullah, who was released when Nwangwu returned, and rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette have shared kickoff return duties. Abdullah returned seven kickoffs for 162 yards with a long of 45. Smith-Marsette has four returns for 83 yards. He has missed the past three games with a toe injury but is no longer on the injury report.
Asked about any reminders or extra tips for Nwangwu, Ficken said it's not necessarily just for him.
"Even if it's an experienced returner, I sit down with them with extra time outside of the regular meeting time, and we go through situations and what to expect: 'If the ball hits in the field of play but the impetus goes into the end zone. What do you have to do? You can still down it and take a touchback.' So we still walk through or talk through all those situations so he's prepared," Ficken explained. "We talked about it a few weeks ago, 'If the ball is on the sideline, step yourself out of bounds first.' "
Here are all the ways to catch the action, a synopsis of the series history and a key topic addressed this week by Vikings Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak, Assistant Head Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator Andre Patterson, Co-Defensive Coordinator Adam Zimmer and Ficken.
BROADCAST TELEVISION
NBC (KARE 11 in the Twin Cities)
Kickoff: 7:20 p.m. (CT)
Play-by-Play: Al Michaels
Analyst: Cris Collinsworth
Field Reporter: Michele Tafoya
ON MOBILE
Because this is a national broadcast, fans everywhere will be able to watch the game on their iOS mobile devices with the Vikings app or Vikings mobile site (Safari browser only). The Yahoo! Sports app for smartphones and tablets offers another method for viewing live local and prime-time NFL games.
LOCAL RADIO
Radio: KFAN (100.3-FM), KTLK (1130-AM) and the five-state Vikings Radio Network
Radio Pregame Show: Hosted by Mike Mussman (5:30 p.m.)
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen
Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline reporters: Greg Coleman and Ben Leber
NATIONAL RADIO
WESTWOOD ONE 97.3 ESPN
Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch
Analyst: Mike Golic
SATELLITE RADIO
Dallas: Sirius 81, XM 226, SXM App 808
Minnesota: Sirius 211, XM 225, SXM App 820
National: Sirius 88, XM 88, SXM App 88
VIKINGS MOBILE APP
Keep the Vikings nearby wherever you go with the Minnesota Vikings mobile app. A source for news and exclusive features, the app also will stream video broadcasts of games for people in the market/broadcast area of each game.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Click here for the full bevy of options that include over-the-air, cable, satellite, over-the-top and streaming methods.
GAME PASS
Start your free trial of NFL Game Pass today to re-watch Vikings games on-demand. NFL Game Pass includes condensed games, live game-day audio, NFL programming and much more.
SERIES HISTORY
The Vikings are 15-17 all-time and 7-11 in home games against the Cowboys (including playoffs). This is the first time Minnesota and Dallas have played in three consecutive seasons since 1998-2000.
COORDINATORS COMMENTS
Kubiak on Christian Darrisaw, who made his first NFL start in Week 6:
"What I've noticed in a short period of time is he's just a very mature guy. He just goes about his business. He knows what needs to get done. He's had very limited reps, and he's had success early. He certainly has a long way to go and has plenty more to prove, but I just really like his football temperament. His demeanor, he's the same guy every day. It's something we value as coaches."
Patterson on trying to affect passers, even if sacks aren't recorded:
"The last game we played against Carolina, we did a great job of making [the quarterback] feel us, and we made some of his throws erratic. We made him go out on the run, and that's usually the equalizer. And that's the big key for us this week. We've got to make their quarterback feel our presence, because if we don't, he'll kill us. He's a great quarterback, he knows where to go with the ball. He has a strong arm, he can make plays with his legs, and he's got a great amount of receivers that can make plays. Their tight ends make plays. So the front has to do a great job of making them feel our presence to give us a chance moving forward."
Zimmer on reasons the Cowboys have revived their rushing attack:
"Well, they've got a really good offensive line. They have a really good scheme offensively, and they have two really good running backs. This is probably the best one-two punch of running backs we've seen this season. Ezekiel [Elliott] runs really hard, and [Tony] Pollard is dynamic, and he can hit the home run. He can bounce to the outside. They feed off each other well. They can rotate with each other a lot, so they're always fresh, so I think that's a big part of it, but I think they do a great job scheming the run game and really being physical with you and making you be perfect in your fits. We watched a play just a minute ago where a linebacker jumped out of his gap just for a second and the back just scooted through there for about a 20-yard gain, so we've got to be disciplined with our fits and make sure we're staying where we're supposed to stay until we're ready to make the tackle."
Ficken on what was emphasized coming out of the bye:
"The biggest thing we stressed with the guys was consistency. We want to make sure, you know, these guys are playing at a high level, they're doing a lot of good things, but just being consistent on all six phases. That's with field goals, to covering kicks, protection in all phases. We want to make sure we're consistent in what we do and take each play – it's a one-play series on special teams. So we want to make sure we have that mindset and we attack it that way."
