KSTP Sports was in the Vikings locker room following the Week 1 win over the Packers. Watch the reaction we gathered after the Vikings overcame a 22-10 3rd quarter deficit.
We spoke with safeties Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus, return specialist Myles Price, and RB DeeJay Dallas.
**_\*\*\*Click the video box above to watch the postgame reaction after the Vikings win\*\*\*_**
Down 22-10 late in the third quarter against the Packers, Minnesota looked sloppy, vulnerable and, at times, overwhelmed. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love had piled up passing yards. Communication breakdowns plagued the defense. Opportunities slipped away.
Then everything changed.
What followed was a stunning 29-0 avalanche that transformed a two-score deficit into a convincing Vikings victory, one built on special teams, turnovers, resilience and a locker room convinced it was never truly out of the fight. The themes echoed throughout the victorious locker room afterward.
For veteran safety Harrison Smith, the comeback started with fundamentals.
The Vikings’ defense ultimately slammed the door on Green Bay, particularly on third down. Smith pointed to the work done on first and second down, creating favorable situations where defensive coordinator Brian Flores could get aggressive.
Still, Smith wasn’t interested in glossing over the early mistakes.
There were communication issues and execution errors, particularly in the first half. But instead of unraveling, the Vikings corrected them on the fly.
“We battled through them and we fixed them and just moved on,” Smith said afterward, crediting the offense and the collective resolve that emerged as the game progressed.
Smith’s afternoon carried another layer of significance.
Less than two weeks earlier, he wasn’t even in the building. Returning to Minnesota felt surreal at first. But once he settled into the routine, connected with teammates and walked back into U.S. Bank Stadium, the feeling returned immediately.
“It feels like home,” Smith said.
That sense of comfort eventually spread throughout the entire team.
The spark arrived with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter.
2nd-year returner Myles Price fielded a kickoff and exploded through a seam for a 69-yard return, instantly flipping the game’s momentum.
Price knew exactly who deserved much of the credit.
As he cut upfield, he saw newly signed running back DeeJay Dallas come flying across the formation and flatten a Packers defender.
“I said, ‘Oh, I got to go right there,'” Price recalled. Moments later, he was racing down the sideline.
Price said he felt the energy shift immediately.
“As soon as I got through that, I said, ‘Yeah, it’s all we needed. A spark,'” he said. “At that moment, I knew we were about to win this game.”
Remarkably, Dallas wasn’t even a Viking 11 days ago.
The veteran runninv back acknowledged the whirlwind nature of being signed, elevated and then helping change a division game. But he approached the moment with professional simplicity.
“You’ve got to be ready to go anywhere,” Dallas said. “It’s professional football.”
Though naturally a returner himself, Dallas embraced a different assignment Sunday.
Block.
That’s exactly what he did on Price’s game-altering return.
“It’s a team sport,” Dallas said. “I come here to play team ball. I come here to win, and we won today.”
The return ignited not only the crowd but the entire sideline.
According to safety Josh Metellus, that’s exactly how this Vikings team is built.
“It’s a complimentary team,” Metellus said. “All it takes is one guy to send that spark throughout the whole team, and we’re firing from there.”