Vikings returner Kene Nwangwu gets shoutout from GOAT Cordarrelle Patterson

Dane Mizutani, Pioneer Press
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Not long after Vikings returner Kene Nwangwu took a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown on Thanksgiving, he got a shoutout from the greatest of all time.

“You special,” former Vikings returner Cordarrelle Patterson tweeted at Nwangwu, adding some fire emojis for good measure.

If anyone can talk authoritatively on this subject, it’s Patterson. He’s unquestionably the GOAT when it comes to kickoff returns. He took a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown last week — the ninth TD return of his career — to become the new NFL record holder for most kickoff returns for a touchdown.

If Nwangwu continues his current pace, he might catch Patterson at some point down the road.

The kickoff return for a touchdown on Thursday night was the third of his young career, and it sparked the Vikings to a 33-26 comeback victory over the New England Patriots.

“We had great blocks on the sideline, and we got someone to get up on the kicker, too,” said Nwangwu, who is only in his second season out of Iowa State. “If we have 10 guys completing their assignment, my assignment is to score the ball.”

That’s exactly what Nwangwu did to give the Vikings a much-needed boost. At that point in the game the Vikings trailed 23-16 after allowing the Patriots to march down the field on the opening drive out of halftime. In roughly 10 seconds, Nwangwu helped the Vikings make it 23-23.

“I think they might have drawn that up at halftime,” Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins joked. “It was an unbelievable return that really made a difference in the game.”

This has been a long time coming for Nwangwu. He’s been close to breaking free a couple of times before this season.

In fact, coach Kevin O’Connell approached Nwangwu during the pregame meal, asking, “Is today the day?”

Indeed. After fielding the ball near the goal line, Nwangwu set up his blocks to the left where the Vikings formed a wall along the sideline. He made the first defender miss at the point of attack, then turned on the afterburners once he got to the second level. Let’s just say Patriots kicker Nick Folk had no chance at tackling him.

“He’s just so explosive to get that thing going,” O’Connell said. “Then to finish that in a moment where he did was a huge play for our team.”

Maybe the most impressive thing about the kickoff return for a touchdown was the way Nwangwu reacted in the aftermath. As as excited as he was to make a difference, Nwangwu kept a level head when talking about the play. It’s almost like he expects this out of himself.

“My mindset is to keep trusting my blocks,” he said. “Every single week we get an opportunity we feel like it’s going to come.”

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