Jhurell Pressley has 106-yard kickoff TD return for Vikings (video)
By Matt Couden
On Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings’ Jhurell Pressley returned a kickoff 106 yards for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
While it’s only the NFL preseason, the highlights are still getting fans for the season that is less than two weeks away. The Minnesota Vikings recently suffered a bad loss to one of their key players with starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s season-ending injury.
Thursday night, Jhurell Pressley tried to help fans get their minds off the bad news and focused on the season ahead.
Pressley was on the receiving end of a kickoff that he caught near his team’s end zone. No problem. The Vikings player hauled in the ball and started down the field. Defenders got hands on him, but Pressley simply shook them off, using his speed or his fellow players as a shield for his path.
Pressley kept on going as two final Rams defenders dove for him. It was to no avail. The Vikings star ended up going all the way down the field with a 106-yard touchdown run. The play involved so much intensity that it made the stadium lights dim. That’s some sweet stuff, even for NFL preseason!
That play right there was also the second NFL touchdown for the rookie in the game. Earlier he had a nice little catch and run to the end zone, which also dimmed the lights in US Bank Stadium.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/771523872340389888
Pressley, a running back out of New Mexico, got congratulations from fellow college teammate Carlos Wiggins on Twitter for the 108- (or 106)-yard return. However, Wiggins also felt he should take a bit of credit.
https://twitter.com/Cnowigg12/status/771535854305103872
Plays like that may be just what the doctor ordered for depressed Vikings fans about now. Earlier this week, the team and its fans got devastating news. The team’s star quarterback, riding on the wave of last season’s success, suffered a torn ACL during practice. That will have him sidelined for the entire 2016 season.
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However, the bright side appears to be big plays like those from rookie Pressley. The team will be hoping for more TDs from the rookie and that maybe he’ll pick up a tip or two from star running back Adrian Peterson.