Kevin O'Connell - Head Coach, vikings Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-18 | Full transcript (primary source).
Kevin O'Connell, Head Coach of the Vikings, addressed the media on September 18, 2026, to provide updates on player injuries and preparations for their upcoming game. The press conference focused on the team's readiness and the challenges they anticipate facing against a strong division rival.
Related analysis: Our take on what this means
Transcript
O'Connell: Christian Daresaw and Harrison Smith both had their rest days today. They'll have no game designation going in. Same with Cash, Blake Cashman and Gink. Practice full today, no game designation. Juwan Jennings is still tending to personal family matter. And he will be listed as out for the football game. Brian O'Neill was able to get limited work in today. And he'll go in questionable, but he's doing well. We'll see how he feels after a good practice today. And then lastly, Kyler showed a lot of progress. He's doing well, felt good this week working through it. But he will be out Sunday. Fully anticipate him clearing the protocol early next week with the progress that he's made. Carson will start, and JJ will be the backup. Carson had a really good week of work coming off of his performance last week. And I know he's ready to go good practice again today. So we know it's going to be a challenge. Division champs and what they have in all three phases. It's a really, really good football team. Classic NFC North kind of game going on the road is always a challenge. But there are massive opportunities for our team, as well as we know for those guys. So super competitive football games awaits. We're going to have to play well in all three phases to win this football game.
O'Connell: Evan, just how much different is it for Carson going into this game to get the entire work of practice this week?
O'Connell: Yeah, he didn't get a ton of work going into last week, clearly, throughout the training camp and everything. But all along, knowing where Carson was at mentally and the daily conversations of things he's comfortable with, things he likes, we were able to find some of those things, as well as what fit with some of the adjustments we made in the game. So knowing those things on the fly was great. And just having the rapport and kind of the relationship built up with him helped us manage last Sunday. But to your point, helped us really manage putting together the best game plan we could, but also something that he feels really good about. And he backed that up with some really good work this week.
O'Connell: Did you have to approach it all week then? Kyler was going to play or he was going to play? How was the coaching staff when you don't know until you get the final verdict?
O'Connell: I think everybody understands the protocol. And everybody understands that player health and safety is paramount in these conversations. The good thing is, Kyler and the inventory we have building up through training camp, we kind of know some things that we can always have available. And then also looking at the bears and the challenges they present defensively, DAA always does such a good job making it hard on you. So schematically, there's really not much that you're getting talked out of, or you don't think you want to be able to do based upon the quarterback situation. So it's just more so open and honest communication with the staff and the players of, hey, Kyler's working through it. He's doing well. Everybody sees him in meetings on the practice field, taking reps, not only with our group, but getting reps with the look team as well, which ended up being a real positive side note, just because you've got a heck of a mobile quarterback that we're going to play against on Sunday. But we feel really good about Carson's week of work, but also JJ being ready to go. He went to the stadium last year in his first game as our starter and was able to come out of that thing as the NFC offensive player of the week. So the confidence level as a team and the staff in what we're doing at that position is high. And then also encouraged by where Kyler's at and where we think he'll be as we kick off next week. But we've got a huge game out in front of us right now, and that's what we're focused on.
O'Connell: So that's better. More than likely, we'll work through that. We'll more than likely know, Kevin, just because you don't get the benefit of the third, the emergency third quarterback. So it's not an extra. When you elevate them, I'd love to. But we'll take a look at some other elevation plans based upon what the 48 looks like and let you guys know on Sunday.
O'Connell: He could be moved to the 53 still today, right?
O'Connell: Max, he can't be moved on Saturday, but he could actually be put on the 53. That's for sure. That would be the only way that then you could designate, designate him as the emergency third.
O'Connell: On Kyler, just to go back to the play where he got hurt, when you went back and watched that whole play and the slide, are there teachable things there? What did you see as far as what you're gonna tell him about him taking off?
O'Connell: Yeah, we've already, I mean, shoot, that was the benefit of him feeling good enough to be in meetings and things, not only throughout the week, but the day after is in real time, we're coaching him. You know, third downs are critical, obviously, and we want him to be able to have the ability to impact the game with his legs. But, you know, a situation like that where there's a vice tackle opportunity short of the sticks, you know, those are the situations where, love that he went down, but, you know, he plays with such explosiveness. He was trying to go down feet first and just the momentum and he ended up kind of going sideways down to his left side there and, you know, the vice tackles happening. So what's the situation? You know, what, you know, we kind of have parameters that we've talked about of, you know, to win the game, to score points and, you know, to get a first down when possible. And I think there's gonna be many times this year where he gets us a new set of downs based upon his unique athletic ability, but it's just the understanding and I think he has it and I think he was trying to apply it in that moment, but just the game speed and just the velocity of the play, you know, ended up putting him in a, you know, a risk worthy kind of opportunity there for him to get hurt. And luckily, it seems to me that we've avoided, you know, anything serious and just how he's feeling and I'm very encouraged about, you know, what next week looks like for him.
O'Connell: Just kind of on that note, it was such a scary play, just how grateful are you guys that he has turned over so quick.
O'Connell: Yeah, and you just never know, Dane, and I'm always gonna, you know, and even I'm just like you guys, I'm watching it from a standpoint of the reaction of what we see with our eyes. And obviously, I felt, you know, better about it getting out to the field and being around when he was going through the evaluations, just having done that a few times now, comparatively speaking, but then it was the next day and the next day and how well he handled, you know, the week and the fact he could be out there in a limited capacity working through it, you know, accelerates the, you know, the protocol and how he hopefully will come out of it early in the week.
O'Connell: Being away, is he still working through that?
O'Connell: Short term, it's a personal family matter and we wanna be sensitive and support him and his family through, you know, through a tough time. And like I said, well, we can't wait to get him back, but at the same time, wanna always be there for our guys and, you know, some of these circumstances and hopefully we move forward.
O'Connell: When did that injury occur? Was that a-
