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The Minnesota Vikings’ improbable win over the Green Bay Packers has set the stage for the rest of the 2026 season.
Sep 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
If you were to ask me if the Minnesota Vikings were going to win the game at halftime down 19-10, the answer would have been no. The vibes were in a brutal spot after allowing a touchdown at the end of the half to Christian Watson to make the score 19-10.
After losing Kyler Murray to a concussion, things were in a brutal spot for the Vikings. The offense wasn’t able to do much of anything, and the defense was allowing big chunk plays. Luckily, it didn’t stop there, as the second half was one for the ages.
Kevin O’Connell understands how important these wins are
It’s not a surprise that the Vikings were able to come out and have a better second half. You could see the changes they made in the locker room, and when you have something like a quarterback go down, it matters to have that time to reset. It wasn’t lost on head coach Kevin O’Connel lafter the game.
“From a standpoint of the people who are in that room, that locker room, the way this team stayed together, even when it there was some unique hard circumstances, losing your quarterback, and having some success against us, and then ultimately, I mean, there’s 1000 individual guys I can talk about,” said O’Connell after the game.
“But to see your team ignite in the second half, all three phases, doing whatever was required to find a way to snatch the momentum in the football game, and then put it away like that. This one will stick with me for fair a long time.”
It’s one of those special kinds of games across the board, something O’Connell knows all too well during his tenure. They had two of them in his first season with the comeback victories over the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts, with the latter setting an NFL record. Then, last season in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, the Vikings put up 21 points in the fourth quarter to get the win.
It’s not just about getting the win; the journey matters, and being able to come together like the Vikings did on Sunday will go a long way to seeing sustained success this season.
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