Kevin O'Connell - Head Coach, vikings Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-20 | Full transcript (primary source).
Kevin O'Connell, Head Coach of the Vikings, addressed the media following a game on September 20, 2026. The press conference focused on the team's performance, highlighting their defensive efforts and strategic execution in challenging weather conditions.
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Transcript
O'Connell: I'm super proud of our team. We knew coming in here, there'd be a bunch of energy, great atmosphere. And coming in, add the weather onto that, and just potential for different avenues that if you were looking for searching for excuses, searching for adversity, today was going to have it. But I just felt like our defense, unbelievable job, just allowing us to play the game the way that we thought we would need to play to win it. It's a really good offense over there. And for them to slow them down enough and keep them out of the end zone, allow us to play a little bit more clock ball possession, try to make sure we limited any self-inflicted negatives. Thought as a team, just no turnovers, forcing to limited penalties, just trying to continue to run the football and see if we can get manageable third downs when we weren't able to get first downs on first and second. Then I thought offensively that last drive was massive for the clock, Carson making a big third down conversion to J.A., Aaron Jones being essentially kind of the lone back today. And boy, did he hold up and just found a way, offensive line, Carson in really, really tough conditions. I told him early on, I told him right when we came from the locker room, I'm glad I didn't have to throw the ball today. I stayed inside until Pat and Go was over. And just massive, massive efforts by the guys, some timely plays there on that final drive. And then defense, DT being our closer, finishing the whole thing. A bunch of individual performances. I thought our punter and kicker were fantastic today in the elements. We knew it was going to be this kind of game. We found a way to go 1-0 today. And we'll move on to the next. Just injury update, really, all I have for you is Ty Ingram Dawkins had a right hip. He did not return. But we'll evaluate him and let you know how he's doing.
O'Connell: Yeah, and it seemed for the first time all day, since the buses rolled up to the stadium, it felt like it kind of died down a little bit. And credit Tyson for making a couple really nice throws there. And then the defense being able to hold them out, I thought was huge. And DT, man, DT just keeps showing up. Just that sequence where they're driving, and then Caleb goes down, and just that whole turn at the end there.
O'Connell: Yeah, your kind of contingency plan. And we talked in the special teams meeting last night about if it was the kind of elements we thought it would be, that those plays could be massive field position plays, but also a chance to have a sideways entry into the turnover department by making a play. And Zay getting the field goal was huge. And I have no idea how he got that kind of get off on the surface. I walked out one time when Cash got a little banged up. And my whole sneaker was in the middle of the ground, about four inches deep in the middle of the field. So how he got that kind of get off, he's world class fast. But that's a whole different ballgame plan on that surface. But I thought it was a huge play to block the field goal, get the stop down there. Just like the Jalen Redmans punch out that Zay recovered. I mean, make them snap it one more time against our defense. And as long as we keep them out, we're going to think we can keep them out until they cross the goal line. So just super proud of those guys, Flo, his staff, those players, and then offensively to be down some guys. Just there were some guys that stepped up into some roles. And then there were some over reliable guys just to making the big catch early. Aaron, obviously, TJ made up some big plays. Josh Oliver had a big catch. And then that offensive line, I mean, just in a sloppy, sloppy game like that, to be able to lean on those guys and eat up a bunch of clock. Would have loved to end it, get one more first down. But the way it ended with us on top was all we wanted to come here for.
O'Connell: Well, I thought I really loved the game plan from the time Flo and I sat down on Tuesday. And just kind of the way him and the staff wanted to do attack, wanted to make sure that we were just playing really good sound defense, whether it was how we were working some of our movement, where we were funneling, trying to funnel the ball. And then it was relying on our guys from a standpoint of setting edges, cutback players showing up. I thought the tackling, a couple times in space, the surface can be tough for guys to close space, come to balance, make a tackle. And they were able to make a couple loose plays to get new first downs like that. But for the most part, in between the trenches, I thought our guys answered the bell against the team we knew wanted to run it and try to get some plays off of them. And Caleb is such a unique talent, even when you think you got them. And I give our guys a ton of credit for chasing them around all day. But we did keep them in there enough. And then I thought the back end did a really nice job plastering their guys through the end of the down.
O'Connell: Yeah, I just look at it as kind of obviously coming into this year, you guys could tell I was really excited about the type of player that we would have in Dallas and how that would fit with how we're going to play defense. And his ascension is as expected as it is in the work he put in and the growth he's had. You still love to see it. You love to see it happen right before your very eyes and just an awesome moment.
O'Connell: So tough, so tough and great. He found some nice creases in there and took the ball. He puts the ball where you want it to go and then he'll find space from there. And Aaron's not going to be a guy that, and he'll tell you that he's not going to be a guy that's going to go 70, but he's going to find yards and he's going to be a guy that the linemen love blocking for because they know he's got great vision. They know he's got some toughness to finish runs even at his size and he's got plenty of experience playing in some unique conditions from an element standpoint. Just, you know, I thought coming into this game, it would be a tough game to come out of here with no turnovers just by the nature of, you know, just by nature of how every, how the football feels basically from about the second or third play on and for our guys to be that disciplined to have no turnovers and like I said, no penalty, like very limited penalties.
O'Connell: You know, I think they got, I think they got us one time for, you know, the left side of our own line might've been lined up a little, little bit off the line of scrimmage and that was, that was valid. I, you know, I thought, you know, there was a couple of those penalties, you know, they clearly saw something, the rough in the passer ending up being the guy that, you know, got roughed and or got held. Normally those guys, that guy can't, you know, end up roughing, but I got to take a look at that. But I thought the officials did a, you know, there were some plays I was, I was glad they took a look at that last Zay Rogers interception and that he, it was kind of the classic, you know, toe to heel down on the line. But thought they did a great job handling the elements too because that's a, that's a heavy day for those guys flip, you know, changing out balls when they can and helping the game kind of stay efficient the way they did.
O'Connell: You know, footing, we talked about that throughout the week. We practiced, you know, shout out the Twin Cities weather for giving us very similar conditions on Friday. Guys got their cleats out, they tested them. We worked a bunch of ball security, worked a bunch of, you know, pitching and catching, you know, even though it kind of, you know, guys were like, man, this doesn't feel like a fast Friday kind of day, but I told them, you know, it'll be beneficial Sunday if the weather ends up going the way it did. And just thought the position coaches prepared their guys individually. And then collectively there was just a mindset of how we needed to try to win this football game. And you'd love to, you know, we had some chances to maybe have some explosives, but the pitch and catch element out there was unique. And, you know, we drew jets, drew a penalty on that last drive, thought that play had a chance to score. And then TJ's, you know, catch on the, you know, kind of the full sell there. So a couple of big plays and Jay's third down catch for cars to dot that thing like he did was massive.
O'Connell: Yeah, nothing's changed. You know, he's doing great. He's feeling well. Hopefully he'll, you know, expecting him to clear the protocol camp pretty early in the week and keep you guys posted on that. But yeah, he's doing great.
O'Connell: I did, glad you asked. Yeah, you guys probably did as well. Well, I'm sure you watching it, you felt him. You know, he got in their backfield a little bit. I think he had six tackles, which is a pretty good number considering, you know, how they were running it and where they were trying to go. I thought it was a big part. Then, you know, Kayla gave us some huge snaps and him making some of those plays. And you can kind of feel, you know, you can kind of feel it in him as he gained a little more confidence, made a few plays and really exciting to see.
O'Connell: I mean, Tyler going down on the 10th or 11th play and, you know, JP and just kind of, you know, obviously, you know, thoughts and prayers are with Juwan's family as well. And you can't wait to get him back. He knows his guys here love and care about him so much and looking forward to seeing his face Monday. But you said it, Dane. I mean, the goal schedule came out. You know exactly what that's going to mean. Chance opened up U.S. Bank Stadium at home against a divisional opponent and then to go on the road. We just wanted to find a way. And this doesn't mean we're still learning about our team. We know we have a good defense. We know we have an offense that, for the most part, protects the football. I think, you know, on a day where everybody in the building knew you were running it a ton, they still, you know, felt physical, felt like a good battle up there and air and finding the space. But we're still going to grow. You know, we're still going to grow and improve and get better, but this team's learning, you know, and applying previously learned lessons on how to win games a whole bunch of different ways. And the best part about them is it just always feels like they're all leaning in 100% for the guy next to him. And games like this are, just like last week, I mean, games like this are kind of games where I think there can be massive growth within your locker room of our way of doing things. And I'm so proud of them for not only today, but just how they've approached everything so far. And there's nothing but more adversity waiting around the corner for the group, but I know these guys will attack it the right way.
O'Connell: Thanks, guys.
