Kevin O’Connell announce  that he is leaving Minnesota Vikings now another significant issue for the team….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vikings’ abomination of a loss to Packers should lead to a full internal examination

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 31: Nick Mullens #12 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS — Win or lose, the same sequence of events plays out postgame at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Vikings players exit the field, file into the locker room and debrief. Coach Kevin O’Connell speaks. Each team member listens. And then, before anyone else leaves, the team’s owners — after showing their support regardless of the result — depart past an area confined to media members.

 

When the Vikings win, Zygi and Mark Wilf are typically smiling. Once, after last season’s victory over the Buffalo Bills, Zygi even blurted, “How about them apples?!”

 

When they lose, they walk slowly and sadly. Their faces redden. Their heads hang. They often avoid eye contact.

 

Following Sunday night’s 33-10 loss to the rival Green Bay Packers, another embarrassing display by the Vikings on prime time in front of the home fans, the normal sequence began. Linebacker Jordan Hicks sauntered across the purple-painted end zone and into the tunnel, headed for the locker room. Once his teammates joined him inside, O’Connell shouldered the loss.

“I wasn’t good enough for us,” he told them.

 

Head Coach Kevin O’Connell on tonight’s game pic.twitter.com/EHDm1pDO36

 

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 1, 2024

 

After several others shared their thoughts, players and staffers dispersed to their lockers and then their cars. But the Wilfs, who attended the game, were absent afterward. Of course, it’s possible that travel or New Year’s Eve obligations interfered with their weekly custom. At a bare minimum, though, the abnormality pairs poetically with the team’s putrid performance. It was a disheartening showing with an NFC wild-card spot on the line.

 

“It was terrible,” Vikings defensive lineman Harrison Phillips said. “Yeah, (it gave me a) disgusting feeling.”

 

The loss finished off a winless season at home against NFC North opponents. The Chicago Bears flustered Josh Dobbs. The Detroit Lions exposed Nick Mullens. The Packers dominated Jaren Hall. Minnesota now finds itself 7-9 and essentially needs a four-team parlay to sneak into the playoffs.

 

On Sunday, the discrepancy in play, especially given the high stakes, left endless questions and the need for a full examination going forward. Tenets of this team’s culture, its fight, many of which had previously seemed set in stone, felt jarred loose.

 

O’Connell’s comments reflected those concerns.

“We’re going to find out (about ourselves) with everything being tested within our organization — the culture and what we’ve tried to build here,” he said.

 

In the seconds preceding the final whistle, superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson sat hunched on a metal bench on the sideline. A purple towel impeded any view of his face, which assuredly portrayed exasperation. At the same time, rookie receiver Jordan Addison slouched by himself on the other end of the bench, dazedly staring at the Packers’ celebration. Two of the team’s building blocks were sorting through how all of this had happened.

 

Unsurprisingly, the disaster dovetails with the team’s quarterback conundrum. In the last five weeks alone, the Vikings started Dobbs, benched him for Mullens, started Mullens, benched him for Hall, started Hall and benched him for Mullens. Say that five times fast, and your tongue will be as unserviceable as the Minnesota offense has been during that span.

 

Sunday, the Vikings averaged 4.1 yards per play. Hall turned the ball over twice (one interception, one fumble). They couldn’t establish an early rhythm, and a lack of balance defined the night. O’Connell reacted to incompletions with long looks, and his body tilted as if to say: Another? Wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell constantly surrounded his players on the sideline, attempting to keep them upbeat. Offensive-line leakage from all angles, including Christian Darrisaw’s left side, congested countless passing windows.

 

“This isn’t about Jaren tonight,” O’Connell said. “This isn’t about any one particular aspect of our team. Ultimately, I’ve got to be better for our group.”

 

O’Connell has absorbed the responsibility for blowout losses before. Last year, in Week 11, the Cowboys blasted the Vikings on national television. Then, in Week 17, Minnesota bumbled its way to a brutal loss against Green Bay. Both times, O’Connell vowed to critique himself. Both times, the Vikings rebounded with victories.

 

This time around feels different in that some broader themes have emerged. The Vikings’ run game — a huge priority internally — is still floundering. The passing game, which can be one of the most explosive in the NFL, does not appear to have been adapted well to the strengths of Dobbs, Mullens or Hall, none of whom has the experience or operational skill of veteran Kirk Cousins.

 

Have turnovers muddied the situation? Certainly. Did O’Connell implement read-option concepts for Dobbs against the Las Vegas Raiders? Yes. Is it possible to completely transform a system on the fly? It’s hard to say, but that’s an unfulfilling excuse when you post the second-lowest point total of the season against the Joe Barry-coordinated Packers defense. And O’Connell knows it.

 

“Regardless of circumstance,” he said, “we have to play better than we just did.”

 

 

Starting quarterback Jaren Hall went 5-of-10 passing for 67 yards, was sacked three times and turned the ball over twice. (Dan Powers / USA Today)

For as concerning as the offensive output has been, Brian Flores’ defense, once the backbone of this team, has descended to earth like a meteor. Packers quarterback Jordan Love dissected zone pockets for four quarters. To say that the Vikings blitzed would be a disservice to the image the word usually conjures. Love scanned the field comfortably, finishing 24-of-33 passing for 256 yards and three touchdowns, and could conceivably have had two more had he converted a couple of wide-open layups.

 

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

 

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has mastered art of psychological war on QBs

 

Second-year cornerback Akayleb Evans twirled uncontrollably while trying to cover routes. Rookie edge rusher Andre Carter II pushed unsuccessfully while trying to rush the passer. Only veteran edge rusher Danielle Hunter truly impacted the Packers’ approach, which raises another concern: He can become a free agent after the season.

 

In general, holes can only be hidden for so long. In the last three weeks, the Vikings rank 31st in the NFL in EPA per play and 30th in defensive success rate.

 

“It’s about pride,” Hicks said. “It’s about moving forward. It’s about responding to adversity.”

 

Though the players remain focused on the Week 18 matchup with the Lions, this need to respond to adversity feels grander in scale. This is not restricted to one unit or one coach, but the entire leadership structure, including general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The collective is set to embark on a pivotal offseason, featuring franchise-altering decisions (Kirk Cousins) and addressing overwhelming needs (defensive line, edge rusher, cornerback).

 

None of this seemed lost on O’Connell as he stood in front of the cameras Sunday night. Adjacent to the press conference room, a group of family members counted down to the new year:

 

5 …

 

4 …

 

3 …

 

2 …

 

1 …

 

O’Connell was undistracted by the commotion.

 

“Any and all improvement is much more than just one play, one quarter, one game,” he said. “It’s about the future.”

 

(Top photo of Nick Mullens: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)

 

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Alec Lewis is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic. He grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and has written for Yahoo, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kansas City Star, among many other places. Follow Alec on Twitter @alec_lewis