During his Friday press conference, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said the NFL team would decide later that day if kicker Will Reichard would return from injured reserve this week.

“We’ll make that determination today,” O’Connell said, “and then ultimately on Saturday, we’ll put him back on the roster if everything checks out and he’s ready to roll. He had a good week, though.”

That’s what happened: The Vikings restored the rookie to their 53-man active roster, making Reichard eligible to kick when Minnesota plays the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

To create a roster spot, the Vikings waived Parker Romo after he connected on 11-of-12 field-goal attempts and 7-of-8 extra-point kicks in the four games that Reichard missed because of a quadriceps injury on his kicking leg.

A former Hoover High School standout and sixth-round draft choice from Alabama on April 27, Reichard made all 14 of his field-goal attempts (including a 58-yarder) and 20 extra-point tries in the first seven games of his rookie season.

In the eighth game, Reichard made three extra points, but, dealing with the leg injury, he missed on field-goal attempts from 31 and 53 yards.

The Vikings placed Reichard on injured reserve on Nov. 3 and signed Romo.

The Vikings play the Falcons at noon CST Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Minnesota has won its past five games to reach 10-2. But that’s good for only second place in the NFC North, where the Detroit Lions hold first place at 12-1 after 11 consecutive victories.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.