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Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
On the scoreboard, the Minnesota Vikings breezed passed the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day<\/a>, 23-10, a near two-touchdown margin of victory. But those who watched Thursday\u2019s game know better.<\/p>\n Unlike the loss he took earlier in the season against Seattle, Max Brosmer protected the football at home against the Lions. Other than that, the former Gopher struggled, totalling<\/a> 51 yards passing for 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.<\/p>\n If you include the seven sacks Max took, which added up to -48 yards on the day, Brosmer netted just THREE total yards Thursday against Detroit. At this point in his career, even for those of us who were highest<\/a> on Max Brosmer, it\u2019s clear he\u2019s not NFL ready. <\/p>\n Minnesota Vikings defense defeats Lions<\/p>\n But yesterday at U.S. Bank Stadium, Brian Flores\u2019 defense didn\u2019t need Kevin O\u2019Connell\u2019s offense to be even serviceable, in order for the Minnesota Vikings to find victory.<\/p>\n The Vikings turned Detroit over<\/a> SIX times (2 INT, 4 FR) and sacked Jared Goff FIVE times. They tried to run the football too, but that didn\u2019t go well either. Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 41 yards on 17 carries (2.4 YPC), Montgomery rushed 10 times for 25 yards (2.5 YPC).<\/p>\n We are so incredibly lucky to get to witness @HarriSmith22<\/a> play football.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: @Netflix<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8HbrDawWS5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 25, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Related: MN Vikings Star Hits Another Record in Confusing Victory<\/a><\/p>\n All around, it was a Purple People Eater performance that must\u2019ve had Carl Eller<\/a> shedding tears on Christmas Day. And the best part of yesterday\u2019s shutdown defensive effort was Harrison Smith\u2019s role in the middle of it all.<\/p>\n Smith totalled<\/a> just three tackles in the win, but two were for loss and one was a sack. He also piled up THREE passes defended and grabbed the game-sealing interception.<\/p>\n Vikings player\/coach: Harrison Smith<\/p>\n After the game, Kevin O\u2019Connell revealed to reporters that Flores has essentially handed over the keys on defense to Harrison Smith, in a rather unprecedented way.<\/p>\n It sounds like he is pretty much a player\/coach out on the field, allowed control and flexibility pre and post snap that he did not have his first two seasons under B-Flo.<\/p>\n That trust then allows Smith to make adjustments and checks to the MN Vikings\u2019 defense in real time, that other teams around the league would never even be able to dream up.<\/p>\n Head Coach Kevin O’Connell on @harrismith22<\/a> and the #Vikings<\/a> captains pic.twitter.com\/oILbw4zvCQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cI think part of, you know, these last few weeks \u2014 and I credit Flo \u2014 just really turning a lot over, even more so, [to Harrison Smith]. Harry\u2019s quarterbacking and a lot of things for us defensively, but in these games, especially against a divisional opponent\u2026we wanted to be able to once again give Harrison the ability to kind of, you know, win the pre-snap in many ways.<\/p>\n And then, what I think he did tonight was win the post-snap in many ways \u2014 just with his ability to get after the quarterback, you know, with the sack, and then he had a couple of TFLs, interception, just phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n KOC trying to nudge Hitman into MN Vikings return<\/p>\n KOC continues to be so impressed by Harrison Smith \u2014 who he openly admits is one of the favorite players he has ever coached \u2014 that he can\u2019t currently imagine life at TCO Performance Center without him.<\/p>\n Thus, Minnesota\u2019s head coach has been trying to nudge the 14-year veteran<\/a> and future Ring of Honor entrant to return for a 15th season in 2026.<\/p>\n Kevin O’Connell is trying to “nudge” Harrison Smith into one more season with the Vikings \ud83d\udc40 <\/p>\n “I’ve been nudge nudge and kind of, catching him, picking [my] spots to keep on saying, ‘I know you’re having a lot of fun doing it, so\u2026'”<\/p>\n “He’s remarkable. He’s one of my absolute\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KkOfGrT4y9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been nudge nudge and kind of, catching him, picking [my] spots to keep on saying, \u2018I know you\u2019re having a lot of fun doing it, so\u2026He\u2019s remarkable. He\u2019s one of my absolute all time favorites.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin O\u2019Connell on trying to get Harrison Smith to return in 2026<\/p>\n Just like with any good Christmas gift, Minnesota Vikings fans didn\u2019t know when we woke up Thursday morning that there was a throwback Harry the Hitman performance waiting for us under the tree later that day. But when we unwrapped it, the moment was pretty special.<\/p>\n Yet somehow, the show Harrison Smith put on AFTER the Vikings\u2019 eighth win of the season was even better than what he did on the field vs Detroit.<\/p>\n Emotional Harrison Smith talks life, the past\u2026 not his future<\/p>\n Not only can Smith still hang athletically enough to make everything else he brings from an on-field coaching standpoint more than worth it, but his love for the game and continued growth as a leader of that locker room is second-to-none.<\/p>\n While talking with media after the game, a 36-year-old<\/a> Hitman waxed nostalgic on his career, gushed over his love and respect for Vikings fans and tried to describe how much fun he\u2019s having playing football right now.<\/p>\n Tears never really came\u2026 but boy they were close. As far as his future, Harry isn\u2019t ready to talk about that. If he wasn\u2019t having so much fun, I\u2019d be convinced he\u2019s on his way out, just by the way he is talking.<\/p>\n #Vikings<\/a> fans are something special \ud83d\udc9c pic.twitter.com\/aGazx3cptw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cThe fans here have never experienced a Super Bowl, always show up. And for them to keep showing up, it just shows how much they love the team, how much they love, you know, everything that goes into it. We\u2019re out of the playoffs, everybody shows up in white. They do their part. And one of these days they\u2019ll get it.\u201d<\/p>\n #Vikings<\/a> S Harrison Smith with some high praise for the defense in what could be one of his final games of his NFL career:<\/p>\n \u201cToday was one of the best defensive performances as a unit I’ve ever been a part of.\u201dpic.twitter.com\/vb63Q2SlB0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cToday was one of the best defensive performances, as a unit, that I have ever been a part of. Guys were flying around, we were having fun, and that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs a kid, playing the game, you never think you\u2019re going to end up here with all this love from these great fans. Anytime we can come out here and walk between the white lines, there\u2019s just nothing better.\u201d<\/p>\n who needs a super bowl when you have a netflix championship? pic.twitter.com\/V8sWDk9orq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Related: JJ McCarthy Gets Nervous Throwing to Justin Jefferson?<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019ll find out soon enough if Harrison Smith is going to indeed return for one more season. But just in case he doesn\u2019t, Minnesota Vikings fans need to soak all of this in while they still can.<\/p>\n Because there aren\u2019t a lot of historic figures on this team that strike a chord with fans quite like Harry the Hitman.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Detroit Lions<\/a> Harrison Smith<\/a> Kevin O’Connell<\/a> <\/p>\n More About: Minnesota Vikings<\/a><\/p>\n Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google. \t\t\t![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/google_preferred_source_badge.png\"){kind=icon}
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