Kevin O’Connell Used the Fans
Easy to overlook given all of the doom and gloom, but a fascinating tidbit emerged from Kevin O’Connell’s presser from earlier in the week.
Apparently, the team’s head coach used the fine folks at U.S. Bank Stadium to help pull off a great play against Kansas City. The disgust from Minnesota’s fans helped to sell the punt fake, at least per O’Connell. “I know the fans didn’t like me sending the punt team out there,” O’Connell notes, “but they were part of the sell, as well.”
He goes on: “Hearing them upset, it all worked out to get the look we wanted.” NFL players, it’s worth noting, are still human. Maybe hearing the masses boo Minnesota’s head coach helped make the possible punt just 1% more believable. If that’s the case, then the fans more than did their part.
After all, Ty Chandler got far more than he needed to, picking up 15 yards.
Kevin O’Connell and the Benefit of Angry Fans
Consider the broader context.
The Vikings — fresh off a victory over the Puny Panthers — were looking to prove that the 0-3 start wasn’t representative of who they are. Locked in a 10-6 game and just beyond the field’s halfway mark, Minnesota’s head coach seemed to play scared by sending his punt team onto the field. Take a look at how it worked out:
The wild thing is that the Chiefs are pretty well prepared for a fake. A pair of linebackers are sitting behind the line, apparently in anticipation of some sort of tomfoolery. Go back and re-watch the video, though.
Johnny Mundt does a tremendous job of sealing off the linebacker. C.J. Ham functions as a pulling guard, kicking out the defender sitting at the end of the defensive line. Just excellent stuff from those two.
Very quietly, Matt Daniels has been doing a nice job with his unit. Greg Joseph remains perfect, a notable accomplishment given last year’s inconsistent kicking. The major gaffes have been mostly absent (Brandon Powell fumble aside).
And, for whatever it’s worth, Daniels is making due without perhaps his most dangerous weapon: kickoff returner Kene Nwangwu. The backup RB is getting close to returning — pun fully intended — so we may see the special teams keep getting better.
Next up are the Chicago Bears. No one thinks Ryan Poles’ crew is on the same level as the Kansas City Chiefs, but the game does take place in The Windy City. At Soldier Field, the fans won’t be doing very much to help Kevin O’Connell.
In other words, the Vikings will need to create some on-field magic without the assist of their passionate fans. Failing to do so will mean the record is down to 1-5 as the season begins settling into itself. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would likely think long and hard about moving on from several of his best players (Kirk Cousins included).
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.