When Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard got hurt last week against the Indianapolis Colts, cynical fans of the Purple and Gold likely muttered something to the effect of "here we go again."
For a franchise that has struggled to find a consistent and reliable kicker over the years, the rookie seemed to finally be the solution, making his first 14 field goal attempts and all 23 extra-point attempts this season. Then, he suffered a quad injury and went 0-for-2 against the Colts, leading to him being placed on injured reserve, which means he'll miss at least four games.
Even with a lighter schedule upcoming, surely something like that couldn't impact the Vikings, of all teams, right?
So, of course, the team's first game without Reichard was a low-scoring affair in which the offense couldn't get into the end zone, putting the game in the hands — actually, on the leg — of a 27-year-old rookie who was signed just four days earlier: Parker Romo.
But Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell expressed confidence in his kicker and Romo delivered in his NFL debut, making all four of his field goal attempts — from 45, 33, 34 and 29 yards — to lift Minnesota to a 12-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I told him before the game, I said it the night before the game in front of the whole team that we all have confidence in him and you’re gonna go do your thing," O'Connell said on Monday. "'It’s just the same old thing, you’ve done this 10,000 times, but now you’re gonna be doing it to help the Minnesota Vikings win,' and that’s exactly what he did."
Romo, who was with the Vikings this summer into training camp before he was released at the end of July, said he's been waiting for the opportunity and was ready on Sunday.
"Been kicking for 15 years, I prepared for this moment," he told Fox Sports after the game. "I'm just happy I got to do it with the guys."
That familiarity from this summer may not have meant everything but it could've given him the inside track to the job. O'Connell noted earlier in the week that the Vikings always liked Romo and would've been comfortable with him but they drafted Reichard and he was fantastic in camp.
“When we let Park go, I said you should be kicking in the NFL this year with your talent and the confidence I have with you," O'Connell said. "We were just lucky that he was available in that moment to go get him.”
“It’s just another kick. They brought me in in the offseason and they said if anything ever happened to Will, they’d call me, and they did and I’m here for them,” Romo said after the game.
Romo may not finish the season with the Vikings, although he'll be with Minnesota for at least three more weeks, but he's certainly earned another call in the future and likely a look from some other teams.
"Really proud of Park, for sure," O'Connell said, "and we’re gonna need him here for a time where we’re not gonna have Will.”
