December 29, 2024 • 30 mins
Welcome to the Vikings Postgame Report. The Minnesota Vikings continued their winning ways by beating the Green Bay Packers 27-25 in their regular season home finale at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Packers scored first on a 49-yard field goal by McManus, but the Vikings took over from there. The Vikings outscored the Packers 27-7 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but the Packers made it interesting with two 4th quarter touchdowns to cut the lead to 2. The Vikings closed out the game with a 7 play, 24-yard drive to run out the clock. Sam Darnold finished 33-of-43 passing for 377 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pick. Justin Jefferson notched 100 receptions on the season with an 8 reception game for 92 yards. Jalen Nailor also had a great night with 5 receptions for 81 yards and the opening touchdown of the game. Cam Akers and Jordan Addison caught the other touchdown passes from Darnold on Sunday. Aaron Jones led the Vikings on the ground with 12 carries for 47 yards. Kicker Will Reichard went 2 of 4 on field goals and 3 of 3 on PAT's. Defensively, the Vikings got 3 combined sacks from Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, and Dallas Turner. Cam Bynum had an early fumble recovery from Josh Jacobs on the opening drive and the Vikings defense made multiple key fourth down stops throughout the game. Paul Allen and Pete Bercich breakdown the week 17 win, including: the Packers made the game interesting late, Sam Darnold was cold blooded once again, the defense brought the pressure, and the implications of playing for a #1 seed in Detroit next week. Plus, Kevin O'Connell and Sam Darnold spoke in the postgame press conferences about the victory. All of this and more is in tonight's edition of the Vikings Postgame Report.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Hey, it's the Vikings postgame report after your Minnesota Vikings
sweep the Green Bay Packers for the first time since
twenty seventeen. The final score twenty seven to twenty five.
With Pete Bursas on Paul Allen. You'll hear from Kevin
O'Connell and Sam Darnold coming up a little later. You're
in a league football mind, go ahead and inferral some
keys today that led to this victory.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
You know, I wouldn't have been surprised by a twenty
seven to twenty five victory, but being up twenty to
three at halftime and letting them even up the take
give Donald still coming back and being kind of cold
blooded after that, we let him. We kind of let
him get back into it a little bit. And so
love the pressure that we were able to get on
(00:55):
Jordan Love today. Like you said, he hadn't been sacked
much his entire year, eleven times going into this football game. Yeah,
and you know we were, we were able to get
to him, I believe three yes, sir, So just a
great job at applying pressure. I think Ivan Pace made
a really big difference defensively, just with what Flores wants
to do and this is an offense that's put up
(01:16):
thirty points the last four weeks in a row at least,
So a good football team. The green Bay Packers are
a really, really good football team, and so for it
to be a squeaker is not surprising. And you know,
the disappointing part is, of course, that we had the
lead like we had. The missfield goal would have changed
(01:37):
things quite a bit because then it wouldn't have been
a field goal to win for green Bay. They had
to have scored a touchdown. That would have changed the
dynamics quite a bit. So, yeah, a couple of things
we can get better.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Those three sacks by the Vikings, by the way, came
from three players who were new to the team this year.
Blake Cashman, who grew up sweating border battles from Edon Prairie,
he had a couple of sacks. Dallas had won cash
Man at one and a half, Dallas Turner, the rookie
now is three, he had one, and Andrew van Ginkol
now was eleven and a half, he had a half sack.
(02:09):
But Jonathan Grenard Pete pointed this out on the broadcast
on KFA, and it was so smart, very very early
in the game. It's an under the radar play, but
Grenard hit Jordan Love I think right after Love threw
the ball take us through it?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well he what he did is they the Packers left
Rashid Walker the tackle one on one with Jonathan Gernard
and John and Garnard beat him pretty handily and even
though the ball got out quickly, he was able to
put a hit him. A quarterback, Brian Lafleur, if you're
an offensive coordinator, you see that, and what you realize
is that in that protection releasing five, you know, putting
(02:46):
five guys out in the pattern or whatever that is,
our outside linebackers are one on one going to win
that battle. So it cuts down on what you feel
comfortable calling. So you didn't see a ton of five
and seven step drops out of this Green Bay offense
for especially the first half of this football game and
(03:06):
into the third quarter because of that, I think because
they were worried about protecting Jordan Love and the way
that their tackles we're going to hold up against our
outside linebacker.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Let's hear from Minnesota Vikings, said coach Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Proud of our team that was a hard fought, hard
fought NFC North game. Football team we played against was
playing as well as anybody in the league, and we
knew it would be a big time challenge. Took a
lot of different parts of our team to come together,
make some plays, to find a way to win the game.
And very proud of our guys, and it was so
(03:40):
important to us this year to get back to the
way we should play at us Bank Stadium, so to
finish seven to one in front of our fans and
have that kind of atmosphere in a game like this, This.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Is why we do what we do and love the.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Support of our fans. Thought it was phenomenal tonight. As always,
it was huge for us and our team thrives off
of it. So now we get to go on the
road and have a chance to compete one more time.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
That's all we asked for.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Is just another new week, new challenge. Really really one
of the best teams in football all year long. We
got to go to their place and roll it out
there for sixty minutes. So we're gonna put our work
in this week and try to find a way to
go want to know this week, but a lot of
performances to point out. I thought, I thought, you know, defensively,
(04:28):
Cashman was all over the field again tonight. Jerry Tillory
with the force fumble flow and his staff had a
really really good plan. I thought, kept really kept him
off balanced early. And then you know, offensively, what can
I say about Sam Darnold other than another big time,
big time performance when his team needed it. Phenomenal moment
in the locker room after the game when he when
(04:50):
he finally made it in there was really cool and
I'm just so proud of him. There's so many things
that lead into moments like this for Sam since he
became in Minnesota Viking, just to see how he's ultimately
been able to, you know, maximize everything about his opportunity
(05:11):
and our football team loves him for it, and I've
had an absolute blast coaching him and just so proud
of him. All of our wideouts, Justin Speedy and Jordan
Addison made some huge pays plays, t J. Hockinson, and
then we did just enough in the run game. You know,
it was it was tough sledding at times, but just
enough to you know, have the threat there to get
(05:32):
a couple you know, great executed plays there late to
not have to put our defense back on the field.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
Can just take us through the last drive he called
three pass plays. Yeah, difficult situation.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Yeah we were, you know we I just didn't want to,
you know, I just didn't want to, you know, worry
so much about the clock and making Matt use his timeouts.
I felt comfortable with Sam in those moments, and I
loved how some of those things.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Married up with some other runs.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
They're done late in games, you know, throughout the year
or even tonight in the game. So I thought we'd
get some edges and get him and his athleticism out
on the perimeter, and then you know, great drive.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Started at c J.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Ham popping him out the back door there, and then
we're able to get a great edge on the next
one where Justin comes screaming across on the low cross,
and then the last one, you know, just burying that
thing all down and sneaking Cam out there. That ball
felt like it was in the air for absolutely ever.
Sam through a lot of balls tonight, and that one
(06:33):
probably stressed me out the most out of his forty
three attempts. But what a play by cam Akers to say,
what that guy's been through I hope fans understand just
how significant what he's been through has been and how
he wanted to be a Minnesota Viking and made the
play when we absolutely needed it. In addition to catching
a touchdown on the screen for your running.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Backs, a couple of catches in the drive, because how
much does that help in terms of making something high
percentage even if you're decigning up to run it, you
stick with the passing game knowing you have a hyph percity.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, it's to me, it's about it's about, you know,
putting together the best possible play to see if we
can get Sam on the edge and normally if if
people aren't letting you get out on.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
The edge, and we should be able to get some
runs off.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
It's marriage of them trying to defend every play they've
got to defend, you know, out of those looks, and
I just thought the execution was really high. If at
any point in time Sam needed to you know, dirt
it or just go down, we were not going to
stop the clock on our own accord, and I just
trusted in the execution of our guys. And you know,
between Cam's catch, CJ's ketch and Justin's was not an
(07:35):
easy one, you know, laying the down, kind of driving
that low cross right on the one and eight and
and him staying in bounds as well.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
The moment with Sam you mentioned there's a moment.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
With samme I just I think he was probably he
might have been talking to Tom upstairs upstairs, but we
felt like we waited for a long time and I
certainly wasn't gonna interrupt that conversation. And when he came
back in, the guys were they were ready with some
water bodels and and kind of lifting them up, and
it was a really cool moments.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
To Hankers, when were you starting what were you thinking
about Dad as a clock killer and in that prop
hole process.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yeah, you know a lot of times in those moments
you spend so much on the game plan. A lot
of times in those moments it's about finding a play
and then trying to coach, you know, the risk management
within it. Thought we had a chance even on the
previous drive for an explosive to jets and one, you know,
half click, they were able to hit Sam's hand and
(08:31):
luckily that was an incomplete But I'm going to keep
being aggressive in those moments, felt like the drive starter.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
You know, we put it together in a way where we.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Felt like we'd get a good play regardless of what
the final play ended up being. And then you know,
the last one to Cam was really you know, just
understanding once we got the ball completed to Justin and
it was a third and two, a little over two
whatever it was. Now you truly have on a third
down the threat of putting eleven personnel in the game
and they've got to defend everything. Our playbook at that
(09:00):
point gave them a run formation, and then our guys
just executed from there to see if we can get
Cam out in space.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
Talk a lot about number of plays being able to
run seventy. I guess how does that feeling there?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Yeah? Is that? Is that what we were in? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I think it's critical because you know, even on a
night Dave, when we weren't necessarily like huge chunks in
the run game, it's good front. They were doing some
things they always do, keeping guys fresh, rolling waves of
guys out there. We're still able to do enough to
then apply some no huddle, do some things to try
(09:36):
to get some easy plays, and then you know, kind
of just get a little you know, get a little
space in there to then try to hunt up some
of the more downfield type throws, and I thought Sam,
like he's been all year long, his ability to attack
every blade of grass, He's gonna stay aggressive. I'm trying
to make sure that him and I are playing this
game as close knit as we possibly can, so we
(09:57):
could be aggressive, but he's still gonna be a great
decision make, and he's playing quarterback at a very very
high level and has been for the majority of the
whole season. So you can tell by the locker room,
you can tell by the way I call plays. I
know that for us to get to where we want
to go, we got to be aggressive, and we got
to play football in a way that allows us to,
(10:18):
you know, have our whole offense at our disposal and
requires all eleven execute and every single play. It's very
boring stuff that becomes less boring in front of that
environment and to see our guys.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Make some of those plays. Jones' knee, yeah, I'm glad.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
You asked, so he did. Kind of it's a right
knee injury. Hopefully we avoided kind of a super long
term injury. But I won't know much more than that
until he gets fully evaluated, but expecting him probably to
miss a little bit of time. Like I said, I
don't know what that looks like as of right now.
And then Aaron Jones did get a quad contusion at
(10:54):
some point and was working his way through it, you know,
had some really good runs, but we just to kind
of pull him. And you know, I thought ty Chandler
showing up, making having some physical runs, getting downhill fresh,
pairing him with Cam there in the second half was
a winning formula to then get some of those plays off,
either in tempo or some of the play pass world.
Speaker 7 (11:16):
In terms of your aggression as a play color, how
much of it is your DNA as a coach and philosophy,
and how much of it is belief in Sam that
when you call these plays in big spots, he's going
to execute.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Yeah, I think it's a little both. I mean, we
want to be we want to be aggressive. The best
parts of our team come to life when we're aggressive.
It requires execution, It requires some hard downs for some
guys out there, whether it's the guys up front, our
running backs or tight ends, whatever it may be. And
then it's ultimately Sam's ownership of the plan each and
(11:46):
every week, you know, truly absorbing that we got one
game to win. Let's totally submerge ourselves in this game plan,
apply the confidence from all these weeks that he's played
so darn well. But then laser focus on this plan.
And this opponent thought Jeff Affley did some things, you know,
a little different, had some adjustments and I'm always gonna
happen when you play a team twice, And I thought
(12:07):
our guys responded to some of the things we adjusted
with in the moment to make a few plays.
Speaker 7 (12:12):
It seemed like you guys attacked the middle of the
field early that the game plan.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Yeah, yeah, you know, the expectation obviously was a heavy
plan to justin and I think that's why you saw
guys like Jamelen Naylor, Speedy TJ make some plays. But
as the game progressed, we're gonna find some space out
there for eighteen and let him go to work. And
I thought that third down catch that was called back
because of the hold was absolutely ridiculous and I.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Got to have it type moment.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
And then clearly you know that that last low cross
on the second to last past play, I called that's
not easy execution either. So just great examples of justin
the growth, he's had to still give us what he
gives us, snap after snap, even though it's frustrating for
him at times because he's such a competitor. When his
number gets called and we can find him some grass
(13:00):
in there, he's going to make a play. He just
always does and we're very, very fortunate to have him.
And like I said, I thought Speedy was huge.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
There was whether it was single high or not.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
There was just a strong emphasis on making sure they
had presence around him around eighteen so there was some
grass to be found and first touchdown was an example
of that. And then some of the plays, even the
you know, the dagger cut that we got back to
to Speedy on the backside there when he kind of
climbed the ladder to make that play was ridiculous, awesome.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
What it means to you to have home field advantage.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
In the playoffs, I just I mean this place, our fans.
It was such a point Kevin to play well at
home this year and win football games for what I
believe is the greatest greatest group of fans in the
National Football League, This venue, this building, what we do
you know, are folks that put the game on. I
mean everything about it feels like we're operating as one
(13:55):
in these moments, and it would be phenomenal, but it
is going to be an absolute challenge going to on
the road, very hostile, uh, you know, very hostile place
and a team that's had a ton of success, and
we have nothing but confidence for the team we're going
to play this week, and we've got to go earn
it with really great preparation. Late in the year December
(14:15):
football was something I wanted to make sure we were
good about. And I think we'll finish that five and
zero as we click over into January. But we've really
been in January for a few weeks now.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
To Addison and how much does Justin's gravity back into
that and just how good was execution of Georgia out.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, the timing, the you know, the sale of it.
We're you know, trying to you know, give Sam a
chance to read a couple other eligibles TJ Justin being
one of them, and climbed up in the pocket right
about the time. We got a nice little rhythmic kind
of set right there, and I was hoping Justin would
kind of clear out the whole right side of the
field behind him, and then if we could get behind
that flat defender, whether it was a safety or the linebacker,
(14:53):
we thought there would be a ball to put up
right there, and he went and got it, big time play.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
And we've talked about maker, just how much you like him,
feel for him?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
I mean, okay to use that word every now and then,
man for.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
Him to come through.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Moment, Yeah, just can you.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Saying, yeah, Cam has something inside him that allowed him
to push through the adversity of what's happened to him
over the course of his career. He loves football. I
think he loves being in Minnesota Viking. He loves his teammates,
his teammates. You know, we're probably the most excited all
season when Cam scored on that uh that screen and
(15:32):
then obviously the catch late. He just brings something, uh
you know, brings physicality, brings a level of mental and
physical toughness that I think makes.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Us all better.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
We've got a lot of examples like that on our team,
but Cam is just another one of them that I
feel very fortunate to have him on this team.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
Do you say anything to to Will.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Record after a few Yeah, I just I just told him, hey,
you know, next one is gonna be the best one.
My confidence and will is as sky high and I'm
leavable session on Thursday when he was kicking and and uh,
you know, hit it hit the first one.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
True.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
You know that's my confidence, lovel I'm gonna if we
if we think we're you know, anywhere near the range,
you know, I'm gonna give him a swing. He's a phenomenal,
phenomenal kid, great makeup. You know the next kick is
gonna be his best kick? Is how I look at it,
And I know our team does.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
As well as well.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
How do you feel to go?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
It felt?
Speaker 3 (16:28):
It felt the same way that it has for fourteen
times now. It's just this was a This was gonna
be a grind. You can hear it in my voice.
That's what these things are. And we're all every man
and in that locker room, player and coach. We're laying
it on the line every single week with everything we
absolutely have. And the best part of it is, I
do believe you know, all we need is all of
(16:51):
what we are, uh, and we're gonna have a chance
to win football games, but we're gonna have to keep
on doing the things that you know, like I've said before,
you know might come off as cliche, but when your
team has ownership of every possible thing that we're doing
and they worked for something, you know, greater than just themselves,
anything is really possible. But that's not to be that's
(17:12):
not to take away from one snap. It can all
go the other way if you're not totally incompletely present,
locked in and what we have to do, especially against
you know, the type of opponents we're going.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
To play played tonight in here on out the rest
of the way.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
That's Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
And this game, you know, like Pete said, was twenty
to three at halftime, How did it get closer? I
mean it's like in lambeau Field, Vikings lead twenty eight zero,
green Bay comes charging, But it kind of had the
feel that the Vikings never were going to lose.
Speaker 9 (17:41):
The game. I thought today was a little different. It
just got a little diceier it did.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I think that the you know, one two missed field goals,
that's one thing. I mean one was fifty seven. It
was the second one that I think really changed the dynamic.
And then the one turnover each team had a turnover.
They did get a thirty one yard return on the interception,
so it put them in very very good field position
(18:07):
and they were able to capitalize that off that and
score a touchdown. So, you know, you have a limited
number of possessions, and that's what you kind of go
through your head in the second half of a game.
If you've got a big lead, you're saying, Okay, they're
only gonna have so many possessions. We got to you know,
make them earn it, burn time off the clock. Time
of possession. By the way, we were thirty five thirty,
so we got them by eleven minutes. So we were
(18:28):
able to be much more efficient, I think offensively and
moving the chains. Four hundred and forty one yards of
offense against the number six defense in the league from
a yardage standpoint, our offense tonight outside of the interception,
Paul looked phenomenal, looked, you know, moving the chains. And
then when we needed it right at the end of
the game. Yeah, maybe it was a couple passes to
(18:48):
running backs c J. Hamm and Cam Akers. Yeah, but
my goodness, were those humongous plays.
Speaker 9 (18:54):
Yeah, and Akers had to make a nice catch.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
You pointed it out on the broadcast that that that
played for a first down was right down by his
shoe strings and he brought it in.
Speaker 9 (19:02):
All right, we're gonna hear from Sam Darnald.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Momentarily, Donald finishes three seventy seven three touchdowns at an interception.
How about this, Sam now has has has thrown thirty
five touchdowns, which means that's the most for a Viking
in the history of the team in a player's first year. Oh,
he only passed Brett Favre from the two thousand and
nine season.
Speaker 9 (19:24):
But how about this.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Darnald is the only quarterback in the history of the
NFL to win fourteen games in his first season with
a new team.
Speaker 9 (19:33):
How about that.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
It's absolutely unbelievable. And that was the biggest question mark
of this team. That was the reason why no one
picked this team to win the division or even have
a shot at winning this division because of the question
mark with Sam Donald. So from Kevin O'Connell to West
Phillips on down the coaching staff, they they've done a
fantastic job. And Donald Paul, you know, he's he's kind
(19:58):
of developing that cool gene. Even though he made a mistake,
he was still pretty much on the money, you know,
the rest of the game. Again, he hit a few
times in the pocket.
Speaker 9 (20:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I thought protection for the most part tonight was as
good as it's been all year. So and this is
a very very good defensive front. They can get after
the quarterback, they all can, right and and for our
offensive line to do the job that they did, you know,
had tip to them as well.
Speaker 9 (20:23):
And here's what Sam Dartnold had to say after the game.
Speaker 6 (20:26):
Another great team win tonight.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (20:29):
I thought our defense started out really really fast. You know,
thought we could have been a lot better, you know,
early on, but we kind of got going there, uh
during the middle, you know, when we you know kind
of doubled dip there at the end of the end
of the second quarter, and then to start the third quarter.
I thought that was really good for us to be
able to get that field goal and then get the
touchdown coming out and uh yeah, I felt like, you know,
(20:51):
we executed at a high level. You know, obviously a
lot of things to to correct, but overall, man, it
was a great team effort. Thought defense played really well,
like I said, and special teams did their thing per usual.
So just a really great team effort, obviously against a
really really good Packers team.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
Kevin and your teammates talked about the exception you got
when you came back to the locker room.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Yeah, yeah, can you describe it from your point of view?
Speaker 10 (21:16):
Yeah, a lot of water bottles, a lot of water.
Speaker 6 (21:20):
It was just mayhem.
Speaker 10 (21:22):
I think I blacked out, you know when when Aaron
Jones grabbed me and and lifted me up. I didn't
know what to do with my hands in that situation.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
So Ricky Bobby style. So it was, uh, yeah, it.
Speaker 10 (21:32):
Was an interesting moment, but a fun moment man, to
be embraced by your teammates.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
Like that, and uh yeah, it's just uh.
Speaker 10 (21:38):
It's always it's always fun to be able to have
that moment with my teammates.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Success at packing the middle of the field.
Speaker 7 (21:45):
You also had a lot of success going to people
other than justin early those things kind of dovetailed together in.
Speaker 6 (21:50):
The again sorry down the middle and then who a.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
Lot of Yeah, you had a lot of success over
the middle of the field, especially early. They also had
a lot of success throwing to receivers other than justin
the earl. Was that all part of the game plan?
Is just the way it worked out.
Speaker 6 (22:03):
No, it's just the way it worked out.
Speaker 10 (22:05):
You know. Obviously, we you know kind of understand, you know,
you know what other teams, you know, just what teams
want to do with with eighteen in terms of coverages
or playing you know, man coverage. But uh, yeah, you know,
I think just I think the biggest thing for me
is just continuing to go through my reads. That's that's
the biggest thing. Go through my reads, listen to my feet,
(22:26):
you know, and uh and just continue to go through
my progressions and be very diligent about that three passes
Kevin called on the past drive when you're trying to
run out the clock, is that what you expect from him?
Speaker 5 (22:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (22:41):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 10 (22:42):
You know, when when guys are packed in the box
trying to stop the run, you know, I know that
Ko is going to be aggressive, and.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
You know, if that's the case.
Speaker 10 (22:49):
Obviously there's been times throughout the you know, course of
the season where we.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
Have tried to run it.
Speaker 10 (22:55):
So it's not you know, it's not always going to
be that way, but you know, whenever he does call
passing that situation, I'm always prepared for it. And I
feel like our guys did a really good job of
executing that.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Talking to Tom Brady, is that what took Why you were.
Speaker 6 (23:08):
Taking so long?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (23:09):
Yeah, was he asking me a lot of questions.
Speaker 10 (23:12):
It's okay to say, hey, yeah, I know I was
taken forever, just like I do after the game.
Speaker 6 (23:16):
Every after after the.
Speaker 9 (23:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (23:20):
No, it was uh no, it was great to be
able to obviously talk to you.
Speaker 6 (23:24):
Know, the best to ever do it.
Speaker 10 (23:26):
It's a it's always special whenever you get to have
him call your game and talk to guys like Tom
Raldy after the game. It's you know, I don't I
don't take stuff like that for granted ever, you know,
it's it's a special, you know, special moment to be
able to you know, share with those people. And like
I said, just just all all around just our team,
my teammates, you know, every single person in this organization.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
I'm just uh.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 10 (23:50):
And where does that moment rank for you, like in
your football career in terms of just you know, within
the locker room type of situation.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
Oh yeah, I mean that was pretty special.
Speaker 10 (24:00):
Yeah, but I don't can't tell you exactly where it
ranks right now, but it was a special moment for sure.
In the air on a way to Oh my gosh, Yeah,
it was. That was incredible, incredible catch, incredible execution by
all the you know, all the guys on the field,
and it was not my best effort on that, but uh,
(24:23):
I'm just happy that Cam was able to come away
with that and kind of seal the deal for us.
Speaker 11 (24:29):
Talk about your teammates obviously what's happened the locker, but
even the guys on defense are saying Sam inspires me,
and Joshua Hotels was just saying that everything that you've
gone through in your career, I have gone through, and
it's kind of like a bonding thing.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
You're like the lightning.
Speaker 11 (24:43):
Rod for them on both sides of the ball. How
does that make me feel that way?
Speaker 10 (24:46):
Yeah, I feel like, you know, it's reciprocal. You know,
all all of us together, we we you know, we
kind of bounce energy off each other. It's it's awesome, man,
to be able to you know, for us to not
exactly play the way that we wanted to on offense
early on in our defense, be able to get some
crucial stops against a really good offense in Green Bay.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
Yeah, it's uh, it's incredible.
Speaker 10 (25:06):
I think you know, obviously that's it goes both ways.
You know, we all feed off each other's energy, and
it's going to continue to be that way.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
Stats are not what you're after.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
But when you've had, you know, such a good season
record wise and you're able to hit that four thousand.
Speaker 9 (25:23):
Passing yard mark, passing touchdowns, just what.
Speaker 5 (25:26):
Does that mean to you?
Speaker 10 (25:28):
It means we're you know, doing our job on offense.
You know, that's really all it means to me, you know,
but just going to continue to to you know, continue
to strive to improve every single day. And I feel
like that's what we've been doing. That's the reason I
feel like we've been executing, and we're just going to continue.
Speaker 6 (25:45):
To do that.
Speaker 8 (25:46):
Touchdown to Jordan where he like runs the hitch and
little we like, I mean, how special our route is that?
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Yeah, it's incredible.
Speaker 10 (25:54):
J runs routes like that all the time in practice
and games. You know, he just continued to he just
continues to surprise me with with the way that he
can get in and out of cuts and just his suddenness,
his quick twitch.
Speaker 6 (26:10):
And it's it's very impressive.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
How must you can is let yourself go there with what
next week? Could mean like a way next week.
Speaker 10 (26:18):
It's uh, you know, for us, it's the same mindset
we've We've had this mindset, you know, the entire season.
We talk about it all the time. But it's it's
not only it's a way of life too.
Speaker 6 (26:27):
You know.
Speaker 10 (26:28):
We every single day, you know, tomorrow we're gonna watch
the tape continue to get better. We just you know,
cause this you know, this game we play. You know,
you know, obviously Thursday sometimes is a tough week. But
when whatever you play Sunday or Monday, these weeks are
the same, you know, and so you got to be
able to have fun with each other. But it's you
get in a routine to where you know you're not
caught up and in the result of anything or you
(26:50):
know what next game could mean.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
You start to.
Speaker 10 (26:52):
Get in that routine and you just start to get
you know, laser focused on our next opponent. Come usually
around Monday night Tuesday.
Speaker 8 (27:02):
People have come up to you and said like, I
want to know, Yeah, has that happened?
Speaker 10 (27:06):
Actually yeah, yeah, I mean it's uh, it's pretty incredible. Yeah,
people will just random people will come up to me
and be like, hey, we want to know this week man,
just keep going. And I'm like, I see you, guys,
I see you.
Speaker 6 (27:19):
No, It's it's awesome, man.
Speaker 10 (27:21):
Just the way that the entire community has embraced this,
this team. Man, just our mindset with everything. It's it's
pretty special couple.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
Just uh, only the one sack for five yard loss tonight.
What was working in terms of navigating the pocket pass protection?
Speaker 6 (27:38):
Yeah, you know, I thought, you know, our big guys
did a really good.
Speaker 10 (27:40):
Job up front today, and they do every single week.
It's just a matter of whether I get the ball
out or not. So it was, uh, you know, it
was a really good day in terms of that. I
feel like there were times too where I could have
got the ball out a little quicker, especially on the
second to last drive. And uh, but yeah, you know,
I thought the big guys did a really good job today.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
I'm past to Jefferson on that last drive. How tough
a play is that?
Speaker 9 (28:06):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (28:06):
The keeper the Yeah, you know, it's something that we
work on all the time. It's something that we've been
working on since April. And you know, for first of all,
for him to be able to make that catch, I
think he made it with one hand. You know, I
just tried to put it in a really good spot
for him, even though it was tight coverage, and I
knew he would be able to come away with that football.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Nineteen ninety eight, Pete Bursage was a linebacker for the
Minnesota Vikings and he played for a fifteen to one
team that was a one seed in the conference. In
the conference playoffs, the Minnesota Vikings are playing Detroit next
game at Ford Field with an opportunity to be the
one seed in the NFC, which means a week off
and nothing but home games at US Bank Stadium up
(28:49):
to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 9 (28:51):
What was it, like?
Speaker 1 (28:52):
How important is it being the one seed and we
can scout Detroit tomorrow night they play on Monday Night.
Speaker 9 (28:59):
Football, You know it is.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I don't think it's as big of a deal as
it used to be because teams that had had the
weekend off very rarely ever lost games. But in the
past ten to fifteen years you've seen some number six
seeds go and make themselves, you know, make it to
the Super Bowl. So the game's changed a little bit
that way. The home field advantage, however, is still here,
and the fact that you know, you can play from
(29:22):
home and you're gonna have that advantage throughout the rest
of the playoffs that that, you know, that's a huge
boost as well. But how about the opportunity to be
able to if they can beat Detroit and come away
with this to say, guys, nobody thought we could do this,
and we did, right, So what's next?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Right?
Speaker 9 (29:40):
What's next?
Speaker 2 (29:41):
And I remember in ninety eight we played in Arizona
team that has surprise win in the first you know,
and at Dallas at Dallas the second round of the playoffs,
and so we you know, handled them. But then we
met a very good fourteen and two Atlanta football team
and a couple of things just didn't go our way
and it wasn't our year. But again, we haven't had
home field advantage and won the division since nineteen ninety eight,
(30:04):
so this stuff doesn't happen too often. And I just
like that we're playing some of our best football at
the end of the year.
Speaker 9 (30:11):
Great job, brother, appreciate you. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Pete Versus channalysts for the Vikings Radio network, and I'm
Paul Allen. The Minnesota Vikings have won nine consecutive games
for the first time since nineteen seventy three, and they
beat Green Bay twenty seven to twenty five. Thank you
for listening to the Vikings postgame report.
Hey, it's the Vikings postgame report after your Minnesota Vikings
sweep the Green Bay Packers for the first time since
twenty seventeen. The final score twenty seven to twenty five.
With Pete Bursas on Paul Allen. You'll hear from Kevin
O'Connell and Sam Darnold coming up a little later. You're
in a league football mind, go ahead and inferral some
keys today that led to this victory.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
You know, I wouldn't have been surprised by a twenty
seven to twenty five victory, but being up twenty to
three at halftime and letting them even up the take
give Donald still coming back and being kind of cold
blooded after that, we let him. We kind of let
him get back into it a little bit. And so
love the pressure that we were able to get on
(00:55):
Jordan Love today. Like you said, he hadn't been sacked
much his entire year, eleven times going into this football game. Yeah,
and you know we were, we were able to get
to him, I believe three yes, sir, So just a
great job at applying pressure. I think Ivan Pace made
a really big difference defensively, just with what Flores wants
to do and this is an offense that's put up
(01:16):
thirty points the last four weeks in a row at least,
So a good football team. The green Bay Packers are
a really, really good football team, and so for it
to be a squeaker is not surprising. And you know,
the disappointing part is, of course, that we had the
lead like we had. The missfield goal would have changed
(01:37):
things quite a bit because then it wouldn't have been
a field goal to win for green Bay. They had
to have scored a touchdown. That would have changed the
dynamics quite a bit. So, yeah, a couple of things
we can get better.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Those three sacks by the Vikings, by the way, came
from three players who were new to the team this year.
Blake Cashman, who grew up sweating border battles from Edon Prairie,
he had a couple of sacks. Dallas had won cash
Man at one and a half, Dallas Turner, the rookie
now is three, he had one, and Andrew van Ginkol
now was eleven and a half, he had a half sack.
(02:09):
But Jonathan Grenard Pete pointed this out on the broadcast
on KFA, and it was so smart, very very early
in the game. It's an under the radar play, but
Grenard hit Jordan Love I think right after Love threw
the ball take us through it?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well he what he did is they the Packers left
Rashid Walker the tackle one on one with Jonathan Gernard
and John and Garnard beat him pretty handily and even
though the ball got out quickly, he was able to
put a hit him. A quarterback, Brian Lafleur, if you're
an offensive coordinator, you see that, and what you realize
is that in that protection releasing five, you know, putting
(02:46):
five guys out in the pattern or whatever that is,
our outside linebackers are one on one going to win
that battle. So it cuts down on what you feel
comfortable calling. So you didn't see a ton of five
and seven step drops out of this Green Bay offense
for especially the first half of this football game and
(03:06):
into the third quarter because of that, I think because
they were worried about protecting Jordan Love and the way
that their tackles we're going to hold up against our
outside linebacker.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Let's hear from Minnesota Vikings, said coach Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Proud of our team that was a hard fought, hard
fought NFC North game. Football team we played against was
playing as well as anybody in the league, and we
knew it would be a big time challenge. Took a
lot of different parts of our team to come together,
make some plays, to find a way to win the game.
And very proud of our guys, and it was so
(03:40):
important to us this year to get back to the
way we should play at us Bank Stadium, so to
finish seven to one in front of our fans and
have that kind of atmosphere in a game like this, This.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Is why we do what we do and love the.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Support of our fans. Thought it was phenomenal tonight. As always,
it was huge for us and our team thrives off
of it. So now we get to go on the
road and have a chance to compete one more time.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
That's all we asked for.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Is just another new week, new challenge. Really really one
of the best teams in football all year long. We
got to go to their place and roll it out
there for sixty minutes. So we're gonna put our work
in this week and try to find a way to
go want to know this week, but a lot of
performances to point out. I thought, I thought, you know, defensively,
(04:28):
Cashman was all over the field again tonight. Jerry Tillory
with the force fumble flow and his staff had a
really really good plan. I thought, kept really kept him
off balanced early. And then you know, offensively, what can
I say about Sam Darnold other than another big time,
big time performance when his team needed it. Phenomenal moment
in the locker room after the game when he when
(04:50):
he finally made it in there was really cool and
I'm just so proud of him. There's so many things
that lead into moments like this for Sam since he
became in Minnesota Viking, just to see how he's ultimately
been able to, you know, maximize everything about his opportunity
(05:11):
and our football team loves him for it, and I've
had an absolute blast coaching him and just so proud
of him. All of our wideouts, Justin Speedy and Jordan
Addison made some huge pays plays, t J. Hockinson, and
then we did just enough in the run game. You know,
it was it was tough sledding at times, but just
enough to you know, have the threat there to get
(05:32):
a couple you know, great executed plays there late to
not have to put our defense back on the field.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
Can just take us through the last drive he called
three pass plays. Yeah, difficult situation.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Yeah we were, you know we I just didn't want to,
you know, I just didn't want to, you know, worry
so much about the clock and making Matt use his timeouts.
I felt comfortable with Sam in those moments, and I
loved how some of those things.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Married up with some other runs.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
They're done late in games, you know, throughout the year
or even tonight in the game. So I thought we'd
get some edges and get him and his athleticism out
on the perimeter, and then you know, great drive.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Started at c J.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Ham popping him out the back door there, and then
we're able to get a great edge on the next
one where Justin comes screaming across on the low cross,
and then the last one, you know, just burying that
thing all down and sneaking Cam out there. That ball
felt like it was in the air for absolutely ever.
Sam through a lot of balls tonight, and that one
(06:33):
probably stressed me out the most out of his forty
three attempts. But what a play by cam Akers to say,
what that guy's been through I hope fans understand just
how significant what he's been through has been and how
he wanted to be a Minnesota Viking and made the
play when we absolutely needed it. In addition to catching
a touchdown on the screen for your running.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Backs, a couple of catches in the drive, because how
much does that help in terms of making something high
percentage even if you're decigning up to run it, you
stick with the passing game knowing you have a hyph percity.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, it's to me, it's about it's about, you know,
putting together the best possible play to see if we
can get Sam on the edge and normally if if
people aren't letting you get out on.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
The edge, and we should be able to get some
runs off.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
It's marriage of them trying to defend every play they've
got to defend, you know, out of those looks, and
I just thought the execution was really high. If at
any point in time Sam needed to you know, dirt
it or just go down, we were not going to
stop the clock on our own accord, and I just
trusted in the execution of our guys. And you know,
between Cam's catch, CJ's ketch and Justin's was not an
(07:35):
easy one, you know, laying the down, kind of driving
that low cross right on the one and eight and
and him staying in bounds as well.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
The moment with Sam you mentioned there's a moment.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
With samme I just I think he was probably he
might have been talking to Tom upstairs upstairs, but we
felt like we waited for a long time and I
certainly wasn't gonna interrupt that conversation. And when he came
back in, the guys were they were ready with some
water bodels and and kind of lifting them up, and
it was a really cool moments.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
To Hankers, when were you starting what were you thinking
about Dad as a clock killer and in that prop
hole process.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yeah, you know a lot of times in those moments
you spend so much on the game plan. A lot
of times in those moments it's about finding a play
and then trying to coach, you know, the risk management
within it. Thought we had a chance even on the
previous drive for an explosive to jets and one, you know,
half click, they were able to hit Sam's hand and
(08:31):
luckily that was an incomplete But I'm going to keep
being aggressive in those moments, felt like the drive starter.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
You know, we put it together in a way where we.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Felt like we'd get a good play regardless of what
the final play ended up being. And then you know,
the last one to Cam was really you know, just
understanding once we got the ball completed to Justin and
it was a third and two, a little over two
whatever it was. Now you truly have on a third
down the threat of putting eleven personnel in the game
and they've got to defend everything. Our playbook at that
(09:00):
point gave them a run formation, and then our guys
just executed from there to see if we can get
Cam out in space.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
Talk a lot about number of plays being able to
run seventy. I guess how does that feeling there?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Yeah? Is that? Is that what we were in? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I think it's critical because you know, even on a
night Dave, when we weren't necessarily like huge chunks in
the run game, it's good front. They were doing some
things they always do, keeping guys fresh, rolling waves of
guys out there. We're still able to do enough to
then apply some no huddle, do some things to try
(09:36):
to get some easy plays, and then you know, kind
of just get a little you know, get a little
space in there to then try to hunt up some
of the more downfield type throws, and I thought Sam,
like he's been all year long, his ability to attack
every blade of grass, He's gonna stay aggressive. I'm trying
to make sure that him and I are playing this
game as close knit as we possibly can, so we
(09:57):
could be aggressive, but he's still gonna be a great
decision make, and he's playing quarterback at a very very
high level and has been for the majority of the
whole season. So you can tell by the locker room,
you can tell by the way I call plays. I
know that for us to get to where we want
to go, we got to be aggressive, and we got
to play football in a way that allows us to,
(10:18):
you know, have our whole offense at our disposal and
requires all eleven execute and every single play. It's very
boring stuff that becomes less boring in front of that
environment and to see our guys.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Make some of those plays. Jones' knee, yeah, I'm glad.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
You asked, so he did. Kind of it's a right
knee injury. Hopefully we avoided kind of a super long
term injury. But I won't know much more than that
until he gets fully evaluated, but expecting him probably to
miss a little bit of time. Like I said, I
don't know what that looks like as of right now.
And then Aaron Jones did get a quad contusion at
(10:54):
some point and was working his way through it, you know,
had some really good runs, but we just to kind
of pull him. And you know, I thought ty Chandler
showing up, making having some physical runs, getting downhill fresh,
pairing him with Cam there in the second half was
a winning formula to then get some of those plays off,
either in tempo or some of the play pass world.
Speaker 7 (11:16):
In terms of your aggression as a play color, how
much of it is your DNA as a coach and philosophy,
and how much of it is belief in Sam that
when you call these plays in big spots, he's going
to execute.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Yeah, I think it's a little both. I mean, we
want to be we want to be aggressive. The best
parts of our team come to life when we're aggressive.
It requires execution, It requires some hard downs for some
guys out there, whether it's the guys up front, our
running backs or tight ends, whatever it may be. And
then it's ultimately Sam's ownership of the plan each and
(11:46):
every week, you know, truly absorbing that we got one
game to win. Let's totally submerge ourselves in this game plan,
apply the confidence from all these weeks that he's played
so darn well. But then laser focus on this plan.
And this opponent thought Jeff Affley did some things, you know,
a little different, had some adjustments and I'm always gonna
happen when you play a team twice, And I thought
(12:07):
our guys responded to some of the things we adjusted
with in the moment to make a few plays.
Speaker 7 (12:12):
It seemed like you guys attacked the middle of the
field early that the game plan.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Yeah, yeah, you know, the expectation obviously was a heavy
plan to justin and I think that's why you saw
guys like Jamelen Naylor, Speedy TJ make some plays. But
as the game progressed, we're gonna find some space out
there for eighteen and let him go to work. And
I thought that third down catch that was called back
because of the hold was absolutely ridiculous and I.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Got to have it type moment.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
And then clearly you know that that last low cross
on the second to last past play, I called that's
not easy execution either. So just great examples of justin
the growth, he's had to still give us what he
gives us, snap after snap, even though it's frustrating for
him at times because he's such a competitor. When his
number gets called and we can find him some grass
(13:00):
in there, he's going to make a play. He just
always does and we're very, very fortunate to have him.
And like I said, I thought Speedy was huge.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
There was whether it was single high or not.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
There was just a strong emphasis on making sure they
had presence around him around eighteen so there was some
grass to be found and first touchdown was an example
of that. And then some of the plays, even the
you know, the dagger cut that we got back to
to Speedy on the backside there when he kind of
climbed the ladder to make that play was ridiculous, awesome.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
What it means to you to have home field advantage.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
In the playoffs, I just I mean this place, our fans.
It was such a point Kevin to play well at
home this year and win football games for what I
believe is the greatest greatest group of fans in the
National Football League, This venue, this building, what we do
you know, are folks that put the game on. I
mean everything about it feels like we're operating as one
(13:55):
in these moments, and it would be phenomenal, but it
is going to be an absolute challenge going to on
the road, very hostile, uh, you know, very hostile place
and a team that's had a ton of success, and
we have nothing but confidence for the team we're going
to play this week, and we've got to go earn
it with really great preparation. Late in the year December
(14:15):
football was something I wanted to make sure we were
good about. And I think we'll finish that five and
zero as we click over into January. But we've really
been in January for a few weeks now.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
To Addison and how much does Justin's gravity back into
that and just how good was execution of Georgia out.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, the timing, the you know, the sale of it.
We're you know, trying to you know, give Sam a
chance to read a couple other eligibles TJ Justin being
one of them, and climbed up in the pocket right
about the time. We got a nice little rhythmic kind
of set right there, and I was hoping Justin would
kind of clear out the whole right side of the
field behind him, and then if we could get behind
that flat defender, whether it was a safety or the linebacker,
(14:53):
we thought there would be a ball to put up
right there, and he went and got it, big time play.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
And we've talked about maker, just how much you like him,
feel for him?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
I mean, okay to use that word every now and then,
man for.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
Him to come through.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Moment, Yeah, just can you.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Saying, yeah, Cam has something inside him that allowed him
to push through the adversity of what's happened to him
over the course of his career. He loves football. I
think he loves being in Minnesota Viking. He loves his teammates,
his teammates. You know, we're probably the most excited all
season when Cam scored on that uh that screen and
(15:32):
then obviously the catch late. He just brings something, uh
you know, brings physicality, brings a level of mental and
physical toughness that I think makes.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Us all better.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
We've got a lot of examples like that on our team,
but Cam is just another one of them that I
feel very fortunate to have him on this team.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
Do you say anything to to Will.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Record after a few Yeah, I just I just told him, hey,
you know, next one is gonna be the best one.
My confidence and will is as sky high and I'm
leavable session on Thursday when he was kicking and and uh,
you know, hit it hit the first one.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
True.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
You know that's my confidence, lovel I'm gonna if we
if we think we're you know, anywhere near the range,
you know, I'm gonna give him a swing. He's a phenomenal,
phenomenal kid, great makeup. You know the next kick is
gonna be his best kick? Is how I look at it,
And I know our team does.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
As well as well.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
How do you feel to go?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
It felt?
Speaker 3 (16:28):
It felt the same way that it has for fourteen
times now. It's just this was a This was gonna
be a grind. You can hear it in my voice.
That's what these things are. And we're all every man
and in that locker room, player and coach. We're laying
it on the line every single week with everything we
absolutely have. And the best part of it is, I
do believe you know, all we need is all of
(16:51):
what we are, uh, and we're gonna have a chance
to win football games, but we're gonna have to keep
on doing the things that you know, like I've said before,
you know might come off as cliche, but when your
team has ownership of every possible thing that we're doing
and they worked for something, you know, greater than just themselves,
anything is really possible. But that's not to be that's
(17:12):
not to take away from one snap. It can all
go the other way if you're not totally incompletely present,
locked in and what we have to do, especially against
you know, the type of opponents we're going.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
To play played tonight in here on out the rest
of the way.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
That's Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
And this game, you know, like Pete said, was twenty
to three at halftime, How did it get closer? I
mean it's like in lambeau Field, Vikings lead twenty eight zero,
green Bay comes charging, But it kind of had the
feel that the Vikings never were going to lose.
Speaker 9 (17:41):
The game. I thought today was a little different. It
just got a little diceier it did.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I think that the you know, one two missed field goals,
that's one thing. I mean one was fifty seven. It
was the second one that I think really changed the dynamic.
And then the one turnover each team had a turnover.
They did get a thirty one yard return on the interception,
so it put them in very very good field position
(18:07):
and they were able to capitalize that off that and
score a touchdown. So, you know, you have a limited
number of possessions, and that's what you kind of go
through your head in the second half of a game.
If you've got a big lead, you're saying, Okay, they're
only gonna have so many possessions. We got to you know,
make them earn it, burn time off the clock. Time
of possession. By the way, we were thirty five thirty,
so we got them by eleven minutes. So we were
(18:28):
able to be much more efficient, I think offensively and
moving the chains. Four hundred and forty one yards of
offense against the number six defense in the league from
a yardage standpoint, our offense tonight outside of the interception,
Paul looked phenomenal, looked, you know, moving the chains. And
then when we needed it right at the end of
the game. Yeah, maybe it was a couple passes to
(18:48):
running backs c J. Hamm and Cam Akers. Yeah, but
my goodness, were those humongous plays.
Speaker 9 (18:54):
Yeah, and Akers had to make a nice catch.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
You pointed it out on the broadcast that that that
played for a first down was right down by his
shoe strings and he brought it in.
Speaker 9 (19:02):
All right, we're gonna hear from Sam Darnald.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Momentarily, Donald finishes three seventy seven three touchdowns at an interception.
How about this, Sam now has has has thrown thirty
five touchdowns, which means that's the most for a Viking
in the history of the team in a player's first year. Oh,
he only passed Brett Favre from the two thousand and
nine season.
Speaker 9 (19:24):
But how about this.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Darnald is the only quarterback in the history of the
NFL to win fourteen games in his first season with
a new team.
Speaker 9 (19:33):
How about that.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
It's absolutely unbelievable. And that was the biggest question mark
of this team. That was the reason why no one
picked this team to win the division or even have
a shot at winning this division because of the question
mark with Sam Donald. So from Kevin O'Connell to West
Phillips on down the coaching staff, they they've done a
fantastic job. And Donald Paul, you know, he's he's kind
(19:58):
of developing that cool gene. Even though he made a mistake,
he was still pretty much on the money, you know,
the rest of the game. Again, he hit a few
times in the pocket.
Speaker 9 (20:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I thought protection for the most part tonight was as
good as it's been all year. So and this is
a very very good defensive front. They can get after
the quarterback, they all can, right and and for our
offensive line to do the job that they did, you know,
had tip to them as well.
Speaker 9 (20:23):
And here's what Sam Dartnold had to say after the game.
Speaker 6 (20:26):
Another great team win tonight.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (20:29):
I thought our defense started out really really fast. You know,
thought we could have been a lot better, you know,
early on, but we kind of got going there, uh
during the middle, you know, when we you know kind
of doubled dip there at the end of the end
of the second quarter, and then to start the third quarter.
I thought that was really good for us to be
able to get that field goal and then get the
touchdown coming out and uh yeah, I felt like, you know,
(20:51):
we executed at a high level. You know, obviously a
lot of things to to correct, but overall, man, it
was a great team effort. Thought defense played really well,
like I said, and special teams did their thing per usual.
So just a really great team effort, obviously against a
really really good Packers team.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
Kevin and your teammates talked about the exception you got
when you came back to the locker room.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Yeah, yeah, can you describe it from your point of view?
Speaker 10 (21:16):
Yeah, a lot of water bottles, a lot of water.
Speaker 6 (21:20):
It was just mayhem.
Speaker 10 (21:22):
I think I blacked out, you know when when Aaron
Jones grabbed me and and lifted me up. I didn't
know what to do with my hands in that situation.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
So Ricky Bobby style. So it was, uh, yeah, it.
Speaker 10 (21:32):
Was an interesting moment, but a fun moment man, to
be embraced by your teammates.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
Like that, and uh yeah, it's just uh.
Speaker 10 (21:38):
It's always it's always fun to be able to have
that moment with my teammates.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Success at packing the middle of the field.
Speaker 7 (21:45):
You also had a lot of success going to people
other than justin early those things kind of dovetailed together in.
Speaker 6 (21:50):
The again sorry down the middle and then who a.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
Lot of Yeah, you had a lot of success over
the middle of the field, especially early. They also had
a lot of success throwing to receivers other than justin
the earl. Was that all part of the game plan?
Is just the way it worked out.
Speaker 6 (22:03):
No, it's just the way it worked out.
Speaker 10 (22:05):
You know. Obviously, we you know kind of understand, you know,
you know what other teams, you know, just what teams
want to do with with eighteen in terms of coverages
or playing you know, man coverage. But uh, yeah, you know,
I think just I think the biggest thing for me
is just continuing to go through my reads. That's that's
the biggest thing. Go through my reads, listen to my feet,
(22:26):
you know, and uh and just continue to go through
my progressions and be very diligent about that three passes
Kevin called on the past drive when you're trying to
run out the clock, is that what you expect from him?
Speaker 5 (22:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (22:41):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 10 (22:42):
You know, when when guys are packed in the box
trying to stop the run, you know, I know that
Ko is going to be aggressive, and.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
You know, if that's the case.
Speaker 10 (22:49):
Obviously there's been times throughout the you know, course of
the season where we.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
Have tried to run it.
Speaker 10 (22:55):
So it's not you know, it's not always going to
be that way, but you know, whenever he does call
passing that situation, I'm always prepared for it. And I
feel like our guys did a really good job of
executing that.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Talking to Tom Brady, is that what took Why you were.
Speaker 6 (23:08):
Taking so long?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (23:09):
Yeah, was he asking me a lot of questions.
Speaker 10 (23:12):
It's okay to say, hey, yeah, I know I was
taken forever, just like I do after the game.
Speaker 6 (23:16):
Every after after the.
Speaker 9 (23:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (23:20):
No, it was uh no, it was great to be
able to obviously talk to you.
Speaker 6 (23:24):
Know, the best to ever do it.
Speaker 10 (23:26):
It's a it's always special whenever you get to have
him call your game and talk to guys like Tom
Raldy after the game. It's you know, I don't I
don't take stuff like that for granted ever, you know,
it's it's a special, you know, special moment to be
able to you know, share with those people. And like
I said, just just all all around just our team,
my teammates, you know, every single person in this organization.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
I'm just uh.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 10 (23:50):
And where does that moment rank for you, like in
your football career in terms of just you know, within
the locker room type of situation.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
Oh yeah, I mean that was pretty special.
Speaker 10 (24:00):
Yeah, but I don't can't tell you exactly where it
ranks right now, but it was a special moment for sure.
In the air on a way to Oh my gosh, Yeah,
it was. That was incredible, incredible catch, incredible execution by
all the you know, all the guys on the field,
and it was not my best effort on that, but uh,
(24:23):
I'm just happy that Cam was able to come away
with that and kind of seal the deal for us.
Speaker 11 (24:29):
Talk about your teammates obviously what's happened the locker, but
even the guys on defense are saying Sam inspires me,
and Joshua Hotels was just saying that everything that you've
gone through in your career, I have gone through, and
it's kind of like a bonding thing.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
You're like the lightning.
Speaker 11 (24:43):
Rod for them on both sides of the ball. How
does that make me feel that way?
Speaker 10 (24:46):
Yeah, I feel like, you know, it's reciprocal. You know,
all all of us together, we we you know, we
kind of bounce energy off each other. It's it's awesome, man,
to be able to you know, for us to not
exactly play the way that we wanted to on offense
early on in our defense, be able to get some
crucial stops against a really good offense in Green Bay.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
Yeah, it's uh, it's incredible.
Speaker 10 (25:06):
I think you know, obviously that's it goes both ways.
You know, we all feed off each other's energy, and
it's going to continue to be that way.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
Stats are not what you're after.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
But when you've had, you know, such a good season
record wise and you're able to hit that four thousand.
Speaker 9 (25:23):
Passing yard mark, passing touchdowns, just what.
Speaker 5 (25:26):
Does that mean to you?
Speaker 10 (25:28):
It means we're you know, doing our job on offense.
You know, that's really all it means to me, you know,
but just going to continue to to you know, continue
to strive to improve every single day. And I feel
like that's what we've been doing. That's the reason I
feel like we've been executing, and we're just going to continue.
Speaker 6 (25:45):
To do that.
Speaker 8 (25:46):
Touchdown to Jordan where he like runs the hitch and
little we like, I mean, how special our route is that?
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Yeah, it's incredible.
Speaker 10 (25:54):
J runs routes like that all the time in practice
and games. You know, he just continued to he just
continues to surprise me with with the way that he
can get in and out of cuts and just his suddenness,
his quick twitch.
Speaker 6 (26:10):
And it's it's very impressive.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
How must you can is let yourself go there with what
next week? Could mean like a way next week.
Speaker 10 (26:18):
It's uh, you know, for us, it's the same mindset
we've We've had this mindset, you know, the entire season.
We talk about it all the time. But it's it's
not only it's a way of life too.
Speaker 6 (26:27):
You know.
Speaker 10 (26:28):
We every single day, you know, tomorrow we're gonna watch
the tape continue to get better. We just you know,
cause this you know, this game we play. You know,
you know, obviously Thursday sometimes is a tough week. But
when whatever you play Sunday or Monday, these weeks are
the same, you know, and so you got to be
able to have fun with each other. But it's you
get in a routine to where you know you're not
caught up and in the result of anything or you
(26:50):
know what next game could mean.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
You start to.
Speaker 10 (26:52):
Get in that routine and you just start to get
you know, laser focused on our next opponent. Come usually
around Monday night Tuesday.
Speaker 8 (27:02):
People have come up to you and said like, I
want to know, Yeah, has that happened?
Speaker 10 (27:06):
Actually yeah, yeah, I mean it's uh, it's pretty incredible. Yeah,
people will just random people will come up to me
and be like, hey, we want to know this week man,
just keep going. And I'm like, I see you, guys,
I see you.
Speaker 6 (27:19):
No, It's it's awesome, man.
Speaker 10 (27:21):
Just the way that the entire community has embraced this,
this team. Man, just our mindset with everything. It's it's
pretty special couple.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
Just uh, only the one sack for five yard loss tonight.
What was working in terms of navigating the pocket pass protection?
Speaker 6 (27:38):
Yeah, you know, I thought, you know, our big guys
did a really good.
Speaker 10 (27:40):
Job up front today, and they do every single week.
It's just a matter of whether I get the ball
out or not. So it was, uh, you know, it
was a really good day in terms of that. I
feel like there were times too where I could have
got the ball out a little quicker, especially on the
second to last drive. And uh, but yeah, you know,
I thought the big guys did a really good job today.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
I'm past to Jefferson on that last drive. How tough
a play is that?
Speaker 9 (28:06):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (28:06):
The keeper the Yeah, you know, it's something that we
work on all the time. It's something that we've been
working on since April. And you know, for first of all,
for him to be able to make that catch, I
think he made it with one hand. You know, I
just tried to put it in a really good spot
for him, even though it was tight coverage, and I
knew he would be able to come away with that football.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Nineteen ninety eight, Pete Bursage was a linebacker for the
Minnesota Vikings and he played for a fifteen to one
team that was a one seed in the conference. In
the conference playoffs, the Minnesota Vikings are playing Detroit next
game at Ford Field with an opportunity to be the
one seed in the NFC, which means a week off
and nothing but home games at US Bank Stadium up
(28:49):
to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 9 (28:51):
What was it, like?
Speaker 1 (28:52):
How important is it being the one seed and we
can scout Detroit tomorrow night they play on Monday Night.
Speaker 9 (28:59):
Football, You know it is.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I don't think it's as big of a deal as
it used to be because teams that had had the
weekend off very rarely ever lost games. But in the
past ten to fifteen years you've seen some number six
seeds go and make themselves, you know, make it to
the Super Bowl. So the game's changed a little bit
that way. The home field advantage, however, is still here,
and the fact that you know, you can play from
(29:22):
home and you're gonna have that advantage throughout the rest
of the playoffs that that, you know, that's a huge
boost as well. But how about the opportunity to be
able to if they can beat Detroit and come away
with this to say, guys, nobody thought we could do this,
and we did, right, So what's next?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Right?
Speaker 9 (29:40):
What's next?
Speaker 2 (29:41):
And I remember in ninety eight we played in Arizona
team that has surprise win in the first you know,
and at Dallas at Dallas the second round of the playoffs,
and so we you know, handled them. But then we
met a very good fourteen and two Atlanta football team
and a couple of things just didn't go our way
and it wasn't our year. But again, we haven't had
home field advantage and won the division since nineteen ninety eight,
(30:04):
so this stuff doesn't happen too often. And I just
like that we're playing some of our best football at
the end of the year.
Speaker 9 (30:11):
Great job, brother, appreciate you. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Pete Versus channalysts for the Vikings Radio network, and I'm
Paul Allen. The Minnesota Vikings have won nine consecutive games
for the first time since nineteen seventy three, and they
beat Green Bay twenty seven to twenty five. Thank you
for listening to the Vikings postgame report.
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