Kevin O’Connell: We Have To Improve and Continue To Grow As A Team | Vikings vs. Steelers

Kevin O’Connell: We Have To Improve and Continue To Grow As A Team | Vikings vs. Steelers

thought the guys battled to the the very end of the football game. Um, too much of a hole with clearly losing the turnover battle and and and can penalties continue to be, you know, a critical factor. It’s something I’ve got to get fixed. um you know, specifically the pre and post snap uh penalties that uh you know, when we’ve we we give away yards or we get you know, things stacked against us creating third and longers for our offense or um you know, earn first downs that aren’t necessarily happening between the whistle against our defense. I thought our defense kept us in it battling a couple big stops and then we were able to put together some two-minute drives despite being down a few guys up front which is you know never an excuse. Expect everybody to be ready to rock and roll and step in next man up and uh had a chance to still win the football game in the end because our guys compete to the very end regardless of circumstances and uh just just didn’t find a way to get it done. Credit to uh credit to them for, you know, playing a good football game, winning the turnover battle, and and their formula to win is is that and they were able to do that. Um, injury-wise, Brian O’Neal will have an MRI tonight at his knee and then Ryan Kelly did uh get put in the or he was out with a concussion and then Carson did get poked in the eye and was able to uh continue playing. Questions O’Neal, how concerned, I guess, are you guys on his knee. Um, you know, I was out there when they evaluated him. Um, don’t want to get too far ahead from a standpoint of what it might be, but it sounded like they were talking about his MCL. Um, so that’s one they’ll have to evaluate. I know he was trying to do everything in his power to tape it up and and see if he could go. Um, and uh, you know, one of the toughest guys on our team, so I know he would have absolutely tried to get back out there if he could. And we’ll evaluate him and and uh, see where he’s at. How do you evaluate Carson when he is under that much pressure? Yeah, I mean it was it was uh you know you’re trying to you go into a plan into the game you know trying to make sure you do everything in your power for you know to based upon what you view as the challenges going into the game from a standpoint. I thought we tried to do everything every which way we could try to limit TJ Watt’s uh effectiveness. He’s a really really unique special player and um throughout the game we we had some breakdowns, you know, at at some other areas and just kind of took us out of the flow of of being able to uh run the football. It took us out of the flow of being able to use our play action pass game. Um, I thought we did do a pretty good job early moving the football via, you know, the ball coming out pretty quick and and trying to find ways to get some catch and run opportunities, but as you stack some of those negative plays, you just end up in down in distances that are very conducive for them. Uh, and then eventually the score is very conducive for them and and uh you you’re you’re trying to make sure you piece together what was the the original plan and making sure you never want to leave 90 um you know to an open edge. And I think the one of the few times we did he he got off the ball so fast they called him for a a false or a offsides in the neutral zone. Um, but then as you lose your center and and then obviously bo it it has some effect on the execution, but I don’t look at it as as anything more than the next man up and we’ve got to consistently do some more simple things early on in the game. Uh, just from a standpoint of doing our job and and that’s the execution when it’s all 11, when it’s all there and you’re going to have sometimes both interceptions were off of tip balls. What we’ve got to look at is, you know, was the ball going to the right spot? what was the protection like? Uh who tipped it? Could we have gotten hands down? Um and then on the third and long, we’re just trying to put the ball uh in play right there. We we got to Z a little quick on that one. Um don’t necessarily uh Carson’s processing and and seeing kind of the intent of the play, which uh you know had a had a provision in it to get the ball to Z. It just maybe not as quick as he did. that ball ends up being thrown on, you know, the uh the west side of the center, which was was not the intent, and the ball gets tipped and and and that one is a incredible play by TJ Watt off of the tip. I think I think Hayward might have got the the first tip. Um but those are two tip balls. They’re still interceptions. We got the ball out one time on defense and it looked like it bounced, you know, JG got it off the quarterback one time and it looked like it bounced right to uh one of their guys. You’ve got to overcome that. It’s, you know, funny shaped football and and you know, the tip balls were intercepted and the one time we got the ball out um it was uh just the next down for their offense and and when that’s happening then you got to create some things. I thought the blocked field goal was big and then uh obviously the defense at the end um finding a way to get the stop and then we flipped that into a touchdown and and had a chance because of that. That’s where you’re just never going to see this team quit. They’re going to play to the very end against a good team. Uh we just didn’t do enough things. um to overcome either, you know, our own execution or the injuries or whatever. I don’t really look at anything other than we’ve got to improve and and continue to grow as a team. Kevin on the sequence at the end of the first half when Carson gets poke in the eye. Did that affect his ability to kind of read things through coverage-wise at the end of the sequence after it looked like we had TJ you know on the on the maybe the down either right after or maybe two downs after and it was his left eye uh you know and he you know he’s made that throw you know many many times made it you know to the right uh against the Bengals kind of in a similar area of the field um and and just left it a little inside tough catch and and ended up kind of all but uh ending our opportunity maybe get seven there and what that looks like if we can do a little bit better job coming out in the third quarter. Um what what does the game look like? So it’s all it all connects and it’s all works together throughout the game, Ben. And and uh you know, like I said, we we complimented uh at the end with an a will to try to win the football game, overcoming all the things that in many cases, you know, we put ourselves in that situation. with Ryan Kelly. Are there any like larger conversations that need to happen with two concussions this year? Clearly, you know, the health of the health of our players is always um the first, you know, the beginning, the end in the middle of that conversation, beginning, middle, end. Um so, we’ll totally defer to the doctors and we’ll defer uh to the protocol and then ultimately we’re going to want to make sure Ryan’s uh in a good place. that that that’s not anything, you know, I I particularly ever want to mess around with. So, um we’ll be smart and at the same time, you know, I much more uh definitely not my lane to kind of weigh in on those things until um the medical staff or you know, we get to that place. But appreciate the question, Kevin. On that last drive, it looked like you you wanted a clock reset before the delay of game. Well, we were dealing with the play clock. Uh, you know, it was the unique thing about, you know, coming to to play here and then you find out about 3 minutes before the kickoff that that endzone’s game clock and play clock would be turned off for the day. Um, trying to go as fast as we can. The coach’s quarterback kind of system kind of went out there at 15 seconds and we just, you know, normally that clock right in front of the quarterback is kind of registering. I got to get going. And it was, you know, it was just precious time lost um in a sequence where with the clock, we’re trying to get um as detailed of a play off as we possibly can to account for a lot of the things we’re moving the ball uh with from a standpoint of help on the edges, making sure we get things up front to to give us a chance on the play to let our let our guys get downfield. And uh you know, that was a a critical critical penalty. And then I think we might have got beat on a TE on the intentional grounding. Had an opportunity maybe um on that one to get a a pretty significant chunk which you’re looking for at least u one or two times there to try to see for sure get in field goal range and then uh you know we’re still thinking about trying to get in field goal range and then have opportunities either make it a shorter field goal or uh try to score. So um that was kind of the momentum of the game. Um thought uh you know thought the best thing to do would be onside kick it. See if we could capture it right there. Continue to have it and then know and flow and the guys could get a stop and then and then it was uh going to be you know a race to try to get three points and get this thing into overtime. Kevin know you’re not going to you won’t use the offensive line talk about as an excuse, but how tough does it make it for you just as you’re approaching things knowing who they have on their side um when there is as much shuffling as there’s been all year? Yeah, you’re, you know, you’re asking, you’re asking guys to step in there. You’re asking guys to, uh, you know, play against some premier players for sure and and try to use the game plan as much as we can, at least as a starting point. Um, and then from there, you know, and we were, you know, trying to uh, piece it together a little bit to move the ball and and account for some things in the second half, which I thought Carson did a a really good job kind of handling. We get the explosive uh, to Ja. We, you know, we you you you don’t get in the end zone on that play and you’re trying to get a play off. Um, and there’s just sequences and parts of our offense that that uh, you know, maybe there’s an answer, but it’s it’s down the line into into things, especially when you get down in there. Um, and then just the, you know, you would have loved to save every second you possibly could, but at the same time, you’ve got to account for all those things, uh, that we that we talked about and you’re accounting for, um, certain certain things where you’re diving diving deep into the into the playbook a little bit to combined protection with the ability for your playmakers to make a play and try to see if we can get some one or two hitch throws out. uh for cars. Last two. What did you think of the atmosphere today? And do you think the noise played a role in the last drive? Um you know, I I think the the atmosphere was was a great atmosphere for football. You know, both our fans that made the trip, the the fans that uh were wearing purple, and I thought they had, you know, a great showing as well. It was a the energy in the building was fantastic. Um, you know, I think probably a combination of uh, you know, the energy there on the last drive and then, you know, just you one of those negatives being, you know, quarterback facing a clock that’s off. That’s not an excuse. We knew about it. U, but that is a a unique challenge when it comes to uh, most if not all, you know, NFL games, you’re normally staring right down uh, right through the defense at that at that play clock to be able to speed things up and get the ball snapped. um got us in a big moment and we’ve got to be ready to handle you know the circumstances a little bit better. That’s the third down efficiency was very low today. How you do you plan to work on it in order to achieve consistency in the offense? Third down efficiency. Third down. Yeah, I think you know a big story and theme. Um you’ve heard me say the term, you know, the early down execution and then some of the you know some of the penalties. I think we had, you know, a false start on a a third and medium, which would be in that six to nine range and and that kicks you back 10 plus. You know, I I think back to some of the, you know, early parts of our season here where we’re u when we can stay efficient and when we can, you know, get that early down execution and then lead into a third and manageable. I thought Adam Thielen had some nice third down conversions uh today, you know, on some of those D andDs. But then you start hold, you know, you got to get people further down the field uh when you’re talking about 12, 13, 14, 15. And that’s when, you know, we ended up having a turnover today trying to put the ball in play. Um seeing if we can get a play started and uh activate Z a little bit in the pass game, which showed up again. But yeah, it’s it’s absolutely something we’ve got to continue uh to work through. Those downs tend to be the weighty downs tend to be the hard ones um and the most magnified when you’re when you’re down some guys because it requires some individual one-on-one you know blocks at times and and you’re trying to do everything you can to eliminate or or at least contain some of the uh you know the very familiar names on the other side that uh you know can affect the passer. So, uh, all well knowing there’s a plan adjusting coverage-wise. There’s, um, you know, there’s absolutely a way to a path moving forward for us to do exactly what you said, which was improve, which is to improve on those third downs. But, uh, to me, it’s as much those plays as it is the the plays that precede them and making sure making sure we’re efficient and staying on schedule uh, to allow ourselves to get the ball out of our hand and put the ball in play to our playmakers. Thanks, everyone. We love Josh Matelis and Jonathan Gernardo up next. Thanks, guys.

Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell addressed the media from Dublin, Ireland after the team’s Week 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers during 2025 NFL regular season.

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