Kevin O'Connell says Vikings need to stay the course after Bears' loss [FULL]
EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) -Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with reporters Monday after watching the film of a 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium.
‘There’s a good energy in this building’
What we know:
The Vikings fell to 4-6, and 1-4 at home this season. Their playoff hopes are quickly fading. But O’Connell says spirits remain high at TCO Performance Center. That’s despite having only seven games to fix their mistakes.
"There’s a good energy in this building today of guys understanding we’re just going to stay the course and continue to improve and attack this thing knowing we don’t have a lot of time left," O’Connell said. "But we do have what it takes to win football games in our locker room, that’s what we’re going to put everything we have into doing."
Keep the faith in J.J. McCarthy
Why you should care:
J.J. McCarthy made his fifth NFL start Sunday, and he nearly led the Vikings back to an improbable comeback. Trailing 16-3, Myles Price got the Vikings started with a big punt return. Two Jordan Mason rushes later, the Vikings were in the end zone and cut it to 16-10.
The defense got the Vikings the ball back, and McCarthy led the offense on an 85-yard scoring drive. He hit Jordan Addison on a fourth down to extend the game, then hit Addison for a 15-yard go-ahead touchdown with 50 seconds left.
But it was early miscues and two interceptions that had McCarthy kicking himself after the loss. He finished 16-of-32, suffered from receivers dropping passes and also missed badly some throws that seem simple.
O’Connell firmly believes improvement will come with more time, and reps.
"There are some plays where he’s making it hard on himself, that’s probably the most frustrating part for him. It’s talked about and repped in practice at length, and in those moments in his fifth start, the variance to it is causing his job to be more difficult than it needs to be," O’Connell said. "He’s wildly capable of making the throws that present themselves. He’s made of the right stuff. I firmly believe the accuracy will come."
Catastrophic kick return
Dig deeper:
After three brutal quarters, the McCarthy got the Vikings the go-ahead touchdown with under a minute to play. Then, a costly special teams gaffe. Devin Duvernay had an open late, and returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards into Vikings’ territory.
It set up the game-winning field goal for Cairo Santos. O’Connell chalked up the return to young players on special teams trying to do too much, rather than their assignment on one play.
"A couple young guys got out of their lanes on the backside. I think there’s an element where guys want to win so bad, they want to win that down so bad for the sake of the team that the discipline of what is my job on the play. There’s a lot of that going on on our team right now," O’Connell said. "It’s a better problem to have than trying to find the fight, but it was a massive play."
What's next:
The Vikings face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
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