On the first play of the game last week at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, rookie receiver Myles Price caught the opening kickoff at the goal line, then proceeded to weave his way ahead for 46 yards.

It was exactly the type of start the Vikings were looking for in pursuit of a road upset of the Chargers.

But the play was nullified by a holding penalty on rookie edge rusher Tyler Batty, which forced the Vikings to start the drive deep in their own territory.

This has been a recurring theme for the Vikings on special teams. They receive a spark from Price at a key moment, only to have it taken away because of a holding penalty. It’s something special teams coordinator Matt Daniels acknowledged needs to improve.

Daniels has taken it upon himself to make sure it does.

“We’ve got to get that corrected,” said Daniels, who typically has given grace if a player gets flagged while giving maximum effort. “We’ve just got to play with better feet and cleaner hands.”

The numbers speak for themselves when looking at Price’s kick returns. He had a 54-yard kick return against the Pittsburgh Steelers nullified by a holding penalty on cornerback Tavierre Thomas, a 37-yard kick return against the Cleveland Browns nullified by a holding penalty on linebacker Kobe King, and 46- and 42-yard kick returns against the Chargers nullified by infractions.

As frustrating as it is for Price, he understands it’s usually because his teammates are straining to hold their blocks until the very last second.

“I’m talking to the guys in front of me and I know they’re fighting their butt off for me,” Price said. “I can always appreciate that. Sometimes that’s going to result in us getting flagged. It is what it is”

As somebody that’s usually blocking for him, whether it’s on kick return and punt return, Thomas said the volume of holding infractions is “unacceptable.”

“If he breaks a long kick return, he’s looking back to see if we’re getting flagged,” Thomas said. “He shouldn’t be having to look back at all. He should be able to only look forward and get hyped like he always does for us. That’s the goal moving forward.”

A big part of Price’s success so far has been his ability to set up the blocks in front of him. There’s a reason he’s currently fourth in the NFL in kick return yards (575) and sixth in the NFL in punt return yards (176).

The general consensus among the Vikings is it’s only a matter of time before Price finds pay dirt.

“There’s been a good chemistry that’s been building with Myles and his teammates,” Daniels said. “These guys believe in him and his ability to touch paint every time he touches it.”

As for Price, he’s trying not to get discouraged by some of the circumstances, knowing he can only control what he can control.

“My job is to catch the ball and return the ball,” he said. “That’s all I’m focusing on, and the rest will take care of itself.”

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