Kicker Ryan Longwell
This choice was the toughest one for me on the list. Dan Bailey is coming off a great season, but that’s really his biggest contribution to the team so far. I think Longwell or Gary Anderson should be considered instead of Bailey.
The tough part was deciding between Anderson and Longwell. Look, I get it, Anderson missed a kick when the team needed him the most against the Falcons in the 1998 NFC Championship, but he also made 100% of his field goals that season (which, as an aside, definitely made that miss feel worse). He also had a year for the Vikings where he made 95% of his kicks.
However, Anderson’s devastating miss against the Falcons, in addition to when he made just over 63% of his field goals in the season after the 1998 miss, helped Longwell get the nod over him.
Longwell had five consecutive seasons where he made at least 83% of his field goals for the Vikings. Sure, he fell off slightly in his final season with the team, making just over 78% of his field goals, but the consistency and the fact that clutch kicks matter, give Longwell the edge over Anderson.