November 16, 2025 • 34 mins
Welcome back to the Vikings Postgame Report presented by Lumen - The trusted network of A.I. The Minnesota Vikings dropped their week 11 matchup to the Chicago Bears 19-17 at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy finished the game 16-of-32 passing for 150 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT's. Running Back Aaron Jones Sr. led the team in rushing with 70 yards on the ground. Running Back Jordan Mason finished with 45 yards rushing and a score. Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson led the receiving game with 5 receptions for 61 yards. Receiver Jordan Addison added 2 receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown. Return Specialist Myles Price made a big impact with 172 return yards in the game. Kicker Will Reichard was perfect once again with 1 FG and 2 XP's. Defensively, Linebacker Blake Cashman led the team with 15 tackles and Edge Rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jalen Turner each recorded a sack. Paul Allen and Pete Bercich breakdown the game, including: seeing the missed opportunities in the offensive scheme, the Defense being able to produce when called upon, and the level of patience needed to continue to grow your young talent. Plus, Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Quarterback J.J. McCarthy's press conferences are all in this edition of the Vikings Postgame Report - presented by Lumen - The trusted network of A.I.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Hey, what's going on? Welcome to the Vikings postgame report.
I'm Paul Allen with the Vikings Audio Network analyst p Persig.
You know, the Vikings have lost six games this year,
and all these games are like snowflakes. They're all the same,
but they're different. So your first home game here against
the Atlanta Falcons, you don't score a touchdown. JJ McCarthy's
(00:38):
home debut. You're at the LA Chargers. You don't necessarily
look that good. Eight fall starts. Last game against the
Baltimore Ravens, well this one today, Cairo Santos walked off
from forty eight yards on the Minnesota Vikings nineteen seventeen.
The Vikings were trailing sixteen to three into the fourth
quarter and staged a dramatic, exciting comeback led by JJ
(01:04):
McCarthy at the end with a touchdown pass to Jordan Addison.
Reiker hits the extra point. They take a seventeen to
sixteen lead with less than a minute to go. But
then there's a kickoff to Devin Douverday, who has two
kick return touchdowns during his career and he's quite lethal.
He ran off to the right side, got deep into
Vikings territory. Santos walked off. The Vikings are four and
(01:26):
six and the Bears are seven to three. This is
all provided by Loomen.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
What's going on, well, I mean, the one thing you
can't do is you can't fault the Minnesota Vikings defense. Paul,
they played, they played their rear ends off today. I mean,
you take a look and you finally at the final
time of possession, it's a fourteen minute swing, fourteen more
minutes that the Chicago Bears have had had the ball today.
(01:52):
They were averaging one hundred and eighty three yards on
the ground over the last couple of games. I got
one hundred and forty today, hit the a top only
a one hundred and eighty through the air, two sacks
and then yeah, then then you plus two in the
take if I mean it's so it's it's like, yeah,
(02:12):
one one section, one group without Jonathan Gernard to come
out and play like they did again. Been nice to
have a couple of turnovers, but we didn't get those.
But a great job by the defense offensively, I mean,
we gotta we gotta figure out something. I mean, our
quarterback with the forty seven rating, the scheme today offensively
and defensively. The schemes were spot on. We had wide
(02:36):
receivers open all throughout the first half of this football game,
especially early on, that were missed.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
The coaches can only set players up to do things.
The players have to be the ones to go out
and execute it. They didn't get that done, especially early
in this football game. And that's that's probably the biggest
takeaway that I have, is that ski ta wise, the
way the players were set up, the routes, those things
they were all there. We just didn't capitalize on them.
(03:07):
Too many drops and you know, then now you can
get into the decision to not kick the ball out
of the back of the end zone. I mean, there's
a lot of different things that you could talk about
forever about this game, but don't lose sight of what
really got us where we were, Yeah, toward the end.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Well, the Kevin O'Connell is six and two lifetime against
the Chicago Bears and the only two losses, which both
are here at US Bank Stadium. The Vikings were minus
two in the turnover differential all right into the game.
The Bears were plus fourteen, number one in the NFL.
The Vikings were minus seven. All right, So the Vikings
finished minus nine in the take give the Bears at
(03:44):
plus sixteen. That's It's you can't lose the turnover battle
to this team as methodically as they play, and like
you said, there are details into which we can dive,
like that lass kick return and some other things. And
you know McCarthy's up and down performance. However, as Kevin
O'Connell would say, give me your best when your best
(04:06):
is required. That's what McCarthy and the skill guys did
on offense to basically look like they were gonna nip
these guys at the wire. Yeah, but you go minus
two to this team and you're gonna lose eight or
nine out of ten times.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah, you are. You're gonna lose.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
You're gonna lose about eighty percent of the games that
you play, close to probably ninety percent when your minus
two on the take give. It's just you're just giving
the other teams too many possessions, too much time, too
many opportunities. Paul, and uh, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So where are we? Where are we with all of this?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I don't know, right, I don't know. It's one of
the concerns that I have too, is just the number
of receptions justin Jefferson is getting. He's been averaging with
McCarthy four yards four point four receptions per game and
I think he only had four today by the end
of it. So you know, there's that's on the back
side of all of this. But we got the penalty
(05:01):
thing figured out for the most part. Now, we got
to just stop turning the football over. And interceptions are
are what's killing us. And you know the the Bayern interception,
that was a great play by Bayer. I'm gonna givehim.
I'm gonna give him credit. What credits do he McCarthy
didn't see him hovering out there in the flat. He
had eyes on the seven rout behind him, got underneath
that thing, the other one he was it was it
(05:23):
was an open Jordan Addison to Shaun Wright was beat
and he threw the ball behind him and Seawn Wright
comes back and makes a great catch. That should have
been a touchdown right there, amongst some other plays that
you know that occurred that could have been or may
have been touchdowns that were missed. So the bottom line
is your four and six. Where do you go from here?
(05:44):
You gotta go to Green Bay against a Packers team
that I don't know how they finished up today, but
they're struggling as well. So it's you know, this this loss,
you lose your undefeated streak against the NFC NFC North
and then on top of it, you know, one and
(06:05):
four at home.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah that's uh, well, McCarthy still doesn't have a win
at home.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Right, and so I think today was his first passing
touchdown at home right last week?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Last week?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Why that's right.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So yeah, you got to get him a win at home,
and we still got He's a young quarterback. We still have,
we still have, you know, a long way to go,
and it's hard and it's frustrating and yep to you know,
to see the defense place well missing Jonathan Grenard so encouraging,
but at the same time, we're not playing all three
phases the way we have we need to.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Well.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Here at vikings dot Com, you will see Tatum Everett
end up Ben Lieber doing between the lines. We see
Tatum Everett at Scoreboard Central where Pete asked a question
and she provided the answer immediately. Green Bay beat the
Giants at MetLife twenty seven to twenty. So we had
to Lambeau to play a Packers team that that may
have lost Josh Jacobs not only for the day, but
(06:58):
for a little bit. Nevertheless, that's the and this is
now before we start hearing some press conference action. You're
a former coach in the NFL, all right, your coach
linebackers for half a decade, so you've heard whether it's
Denny Green, a coach for whom you played, Lou Holtz
a Notre Dame, or Mike Tice. Here, if you're Kevin O'Connell,
(07:18):
a raising kids ain't easy professionally or personally, all right,
So that was McCarthy's fifth start, So they're still better
to come. I think we all know that. But if
you're Kevin O'Connell and you schemed so many guys open
so frequently during the course of the game, how do
you handle that?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, you just got to keep doing what you're doing.
You got to keep doing what you're doing. You've got
to pour everything that you've got into developing this young
quarterback and see how he responds, because that's very telling, right,
that's the only that's the only thing that you have
to answer now is is he the guy going forward?
And you're not going to do him any favors by
(07:58):
changing what you do to much, by not being or
not having the identity that you've had as a passing
team over the last four seasons. It's it's a very
tough thing to do that balance to walk. Yeah, but
guys are getting open. It's just a matter of executing it.
And patients should be thinned. Demands should be going up
(08:22):
of these players and of you know what you need
from them. This is the NFL, right, I mean, in
a fifty percent completion rate is not going to get
it done. So what needs to be fixed with that?
And I mean you've got some firepower on offense that's
sitting on the shelf that really we haven't been able
to use because of those struggles, and that has to
(08:44):
be fixed as quickly as possible.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
All Right, let's hear from Minnesota Vikings, said coach Kevin
O'Connell following a walk off win by the Chicago Bears.
It was Cairo Santos from forty eight they win nineteen
seventeen years Ko.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
We knew coming into the game that this team had
won all of their games by winning the turnover margin,
and we lost that two to zero and did a
lot of things that did a lot of things as
a football team to try to battle and continue to
overcome the adversity that we kind of face in many cases,
you know, calls by ourselves and just some certain aspects
(09:20):
of the game today. Proud of the way they competed,
but not good enough to win overall. And I love
the fight to get the lead at the end, and
they made a play to get the ball in field
goal range on the kickoff return, and they made that
play which ended up being a winning play in a
game that was quite honestly something that you know, we
(09:42):
did a lot of the things that we talked about
not doing, and the main thing being the turnovers and
got to take a look at them obviously. But I
was proud of the way we ran the ball, you know,
tried to stick with it as much as we could.
Ended up with a couple of two minute drives there
where we had to go and maybe became one dimensional.
But for the most part, the guys up front felt
(10:02):
like we protected I think we had we limited the negatives.
For the most part, we just felt like we were
a play away all day.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
So just JJ's accuracy and I guess, how did you
evaluate kind of throughout the game.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
You know, obviously you feel certain things when you're you know,
when you're calling things, seeing coverages kind of express themselves
and you think maybe there's you know, some ops out there,
But I always have to really evaluate it from a
standpoint of of of what it looked like on the
tape and if there were it felt like protection wise,
outside of a few plays I can think of, you know,
(10:38):
we tried to keep them clean. I like the protection
plan we had against some looks that we that have
caused some people problems on.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Some of those third downs.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
And then overall just you know, felt like we were
one or two pitching catches away from from maybe you know,
having a little bit different dynamic to the game throughout.
So I don't want to pinpoint one particular area, but yeah,
there was there were some plays you think of as
you kind of roll through the game from you know,
start to finish. But I also thought there were some
(11:07):
plays we could have made for him as well, and
we just got to you know, stay the course and
continue to coach the principles that we believe in wholeheartedly,
and and uh continue to try to pave the path
for improvement and and like It starts with the pitching
and catching and and how we're putting things together and
trying to make it, you know, as as quarterback friendly
(11:28):
as we can. We'll still you know, being able to
run the football and stay efficient throughout the day.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
And how hard is that way?
Speaker 6 (11:35):
You have to give him the time to just progress
through what he needs to progress.
Speaker 7 (11:40):
But going into that locker room after that game, where
you know, the final margin was one play this.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Way either, Yeah, And that's what I told our team.
We've learned some We've learned some hard lessons on that margin,
you know, that that razor thin margin of what.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
These games come down to.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
You know, I think there's a lot of things, whether
that field goal goes through at the end or not,
that for us to become the team we want to be,
we've got to work towards those things in all three phases.
And the one thing I know for sure is this team, Uh,
you know, I gathered him up at the end and
and had every eyeball and every guy in that in
that circle. And we've got great leadership, and we've got
(12:17):
great fight and just the examples of our practice weeks
and what we've felt like coming out of our practice
weeks into these games with a lot of confidence because
of the work that gets put in.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
That's exactly what we're gonna keep doing.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
It started to look like it just was snowballing on JJ.
The incompletion is the wild throws. What were you seeing
on the sideline as you talked to him in between series?
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Yeah, it was, you know, just a couple of those plays.
You know, he he was, he was frustrated, and I
just I just kept telling him, you know, feet and eyes,
feet and eyes and and the and the things that
we saw throughout the week on the practice field, Uh,
you know, make it about that. And and I thought
he did some nice things, you know, checking the ball
down a couple of times. Yeah, we might have you know,
(12:58):
missed some chances down the field in the playpass game,
or miss some chances you know, maybe to convert on
some third downs and get a new set of downs
and can continue with the rhythm. But it's just about
the next play in that moment.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
You can't. You're obviously coaching principles.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
And I know Josh is coaching uh you know, footwork
and technique, and I'm trying to call things that I
feel will have the best chance to give him rhythm throws,
but uh, you know, at the same time, just find
different types of throws that I know he I've seen
you know him hit and start stacking him. And then
I will say I was really proud of the way
he finished that drive, uh, throwing, throwing some completions, you
(13:35):
know the fourth down, you know, they brought a kind
of different kind of zero than than what we saw.
He sped it up to Addison and then we're able
to kind of finish that drive for a touchdown. Yeah,
So there's there's gonna be you know, with a with
a young quarterback, there's going to be a lot of
things that will will pinpoint and continue to highlight and
tie that preparation throughout the week and our plans to uh,
(13:56):
you know what he does well and and continue to
coach the things that where we feel the emphasis.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Needs to be on. But it's part of the young
QB journey.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
It just results like today, and especially when you're able
to kind of fight through it all get the lead.
You would love to be making a lot of those
growth coaching points and development coaching points with a one
point win, but credit the Bears for getting it done
in the end.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
I mean you only had just.
Speaker 7 (14:19):
The one false start, but it goes from third and
two to thirty seven, that kind of a point where
you third two would.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Have been good for you. Yeah, does that change your call?
Speaker 7 (14:28):
Do you remember?
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Like what?
Speaker 9 (14:29):
Because see I think you threw kind of wild high.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I think it was.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
It did not change the call other than the fact that,
you know, the the cadence changed a little bit. You know,
you know, we were on a smooth, quick cadence you know,
which in a lot of ways is essentially like walking
up to the line of scrimmage and saying said, hut,
not to give all of our information out there, but
that's what you know. There's there's teams at different levels
(14:57):
of football that are that that run that cadence, and
and we, in a big moment, didn't didn't execute that.
It looked like our tackles got off the ball on
the cadence, and whether it was just not loud enough
or whatever it was, it looked like we were navigating
our way through the day without any of them after
the work that had been put in.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
So that was very frustrating. Kevin.
Speaker 7 (15:19):
We mentioned a young quarterback journey and just what is
the balance for you right now? Trying to manage that
with also just the result finals.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Yeah, it's it's they're there.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
You know, what's what's best for the young quarterback, what's
best for our offense, what's best for the team. That's
my job to manage all those things, and I've got
to do a better job of that.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
What was your thought process today on that?
Speaker 9 (15:42):
On that balance? Obviously I think sixteen to three at
some point there and he's really scuffling, and I mean,
I know you want to win the game too, so
like how do you kind of decide, Okay, he's going
to keep going or are we gonna.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
Yeah, you know, it's all those things you're you're kind
of working through knowing that. Uh, you know, I think
when we got that that big time return from from
miles you know to score.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
You know, I ran it two times, you know.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Directly off of that sudden change, which is uh, which
is unique, you know if you're if you're looking back
over the the catalog over the years. But our guys
responded and put the ball on the end zone. So uh,
you know, I liked I liked the fact of how
our early downs matched with how we wanted to play
the game we didn't have I think we I think
we had one the one pre snap that that Mark
(16:30):
was referencing, and then I think we had maybe one
negative play all day. I can't I can't remember too
many times where I was kind of getting out of
the rhythm of what we wanted to get to. And
I think that's where some of the explosive plays chances
maybe presented themselves. And what you know, when you can
hit one or two of those, and we did. We
(16:50):
you know, we married up a couple of things and
hit some play pass. Uh just you know, had a
few more opportunities, and you know, I didn't take advantage
of them, and uh, they will be tremendous growth opportunities
from this tape for our whole team. It's not just
our young quarterback, for our whole team. But it's week eleven,
and you know, the the division games and the home
(17:10):
games and those things that are so important, you know,
make you have to manage all those things to try
to just show up here today and try to go
one to.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Know, and that's not just at the start of the game,
that's throughout.
Speaker 5 (17:19):
It's the second half when you're trying to navigate your
way to just getting the lead and then you know,
there was a great feeling there when we had it.
But like I said, credit them for finding a way
to win the game.
Speaker 9 (17:29):
The finer point on, is there a level of performance
that he would get the need to get to for
you to consider whether he's just to be replaced.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
In the game. Yeah, I don't. I'm not going to
get into any of that right now.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
Do you see a theme with any of the drops,
Like with any of the drops, like, is any of
that time to just passing game rhythm?
Speaker 3 (17:49):
You feel like in terms of time?
Speaker 5 (17:51):
No, I mean, like I said, I would have to
go back and look at it, like what we're deeming,
you know, a true drop versus you know, are the
guys having to work, you know to make frame you know,
catches consistently outside the frame of the body. I mean,
I thought some of some of our best completions of
the day, you know, we're we're well thrown footballs and
(18:12):
guys made some plays for him as well. You know,
maybe on some plays were either we were you know,
a little out in front or a little it got
away from us a little bit. But I think it
still just comes back to you know, each individual play
is going to be magnified, especially when you are you know,
running things and setting things up and you know, trying
(18:33):
to maintain a rhythm for the For the offense, part
of maintaining that is just finding a way to pitch
and catch on a couple of those looks where maybe
you get what you want, maybe you don't, but when
you do, you know it's the pitch and catch element
that has kind of made this offense you know, you know,
kind of fit. So continue to strive for that and
learn huge like I said, huge growth learning opportunity out
(18:55):
in front of us. That doesn't make any of this easier,
but at the same time, it is. It is the truth,
and we'll continue to coach as hard as we possibly can.
And I know for a fact everybody on our team
is going to continue to work like crazy to try
to go one And know every week, if.
Speaker 8 (19:11):
You said earlier this week, sometimes you get a heat
of battle, bad habits creep back in. Is that so
that means fundamentals and that's why you're constantly saying feet,
knives and bounce.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Yeah, it's you know, whether it's just the initial posture
where we've just learned that when he has great posture,
you know, at the top of drops, he throws the
ball really well.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
He did it Friday, did it Thursday?
Speaker 5 (19:33):
I think I even referenced on Friday the type of
practices we had. Uh, it's a consistency factor of a
you know, navigating through four quarters of a game.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
You know, when you when you.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
You maybe miss one and feel some push here somewhere
in an NFL pocket. That's what it is every single Sunday,
for every single player that plays a position in this league.
And then on top of that you start talking about
pocket movement and what is a pocket movement. It's continuing
to try to you exhaust your progression or maintain number one.
(20:03):
You know, if there's a little bit of movement here
and there, and how do I get and contain it?
Continue to have that posture while there is a you know,
a place in the pocket to work through it. And
then if you're gonna get moved off the spot, like
what happens to many quarterbacks, you you know, move off
the spot and find your checkdown elements or make a
play with your legs working off schedule play. There's there's
(20:24):
the you know, we've got to continue to get better
at the the play as is as it's called, and
we've certainly seen him use his athleticism to make some
plays as well. But to me, it comes down to
a lot of core principles of just, you know, consistently
every snap, whether it's number one all the way to
you know, however many we got today fifty four which
isn't enough, but one through fifty four, we control what
(20:47):
we can from a standpoint of techniques and fundamentals and
our decision making.
Speaker 7 (20:52):
Did you see any trouble with his fundamentalsson Michigan. Is
this something that came about sitting out in.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Here or no.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
I think it's just, you know, I I think the
the element of you know, moving forward into you know,
an NFL offense and and uh, you know, just the
types of throws, the tighter hashes, the more space in the.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Middle of the field. The game's different.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
But but no, I I thought some of some of
his most impactful plays were on some of those weighty
downs and and he's had some very impactful plays on
those weighty downs for us as well. Just looking for
the consistency factor to be, you know, from a standpoint
of just.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
What is what is my job? What what am I
being asked to do?
Speaker 5 (21:36):
And and and when he when we start there and
we check those boxes, there's normally been some good, good
football that follows.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
And that's just the journey in the path of a
young player learning that lesson and and and applying it
as we move forward.
Speaker 9 (21:49):
Here, just get out, have a guy out of his
way there.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Yeah, I got to take a look at it.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
You know, those are always tough for me to judge,
but yeah, that was a massive, massive play in a
day where the special teams units have had had had
such a role in helping us win the field position battle.
I mean, you know, I think our average drive start
was the thirty two, and there were some quality returns
that that you know, that contributed to that. I think
(22:17):
we had one holding call that forced us to start
a little bit backed up on a nice return by
by Miles. But then that one play, and it's just
the nature of when you're losing the turnover battle and
and maybe you're leaving some plays out there, your margin
of error becomes very razor thin for your whole team.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
And that just.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Becomes each and every snap, no matter whether it's offense, defense,
or in.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
The kicking game, are massive and one.
Speaker 5 (22:40):
Play, one play that they make or one play that
you don't could could alter your chances of winning the game.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Does it feel like it's been harder to hang on
to momentum like either game to game or.
Speaker 7 (22:53):
In that instance Free particularly the one play later they
had the.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Momentum right back.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
Yeah, you know, you could feel it in the building,
you know, when we're and you could feel the momentum.
It's a great way to describe it. When JJ throws
the touchdown Jordan two minute drill. You know, as I
told him earlier in the game, no matter what this
day has been like, I'm going to tell you at
the end of this you just you just move the
ball down the field to help us win this game.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
And I'm proud of you.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
And I told him that just once again. The result
the result didn't end up staying seventeen sixteen, and they
beat us by making them play there and then making
the kick.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
All right, So before we head into Sunday evening and
we get into nine to noon on the flagship KFA
and tomorrow you at ten o'clock every Monday, what do
you think the fan base related response is going to
be from the running game or lack thereof, because personally
speaking from an organic standpoint, having not looked back at
(23:54):
you know, any box counts or you know, any of
the super special particular NFL stuff, it felt like they
gave the running game and honest tried today.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, they had to. I think, you know, the running
game kind of bounced back in the fourth quarter and
that's when JJ McCarthy is passer rating was was close
to single digits. It was only twelve thirteen somewhere hovering
around there. They had to run the football and they
did so to get one hundred and fifteen yards on
the ground. We talked, you know the Bears. The Bears
(24:24):
had only forced twenty three punts all season, and I
think they forced six or seven today by the Minnesota Vikings.
So running the football I thought was going to be
a pillar of what the offense was going to try
to do. We got to it late because I think
we had to, and it worked well. So, you know,
Aaron Jones, you know, Jordan Mason. Great job by those
(24:47):
guys on the ground, the offensive line, Will Fryes being
very very physical. I like that part of it. Upfront
protection was pretty good for the most part all day long. Really,
it's like the things that have haunted us in the past.
You know, we're overcoming them, but so you got to
keep going. But you can't and you can't give up
the progress that you've made in protection and in penalties
(25:07):
and everything else. It's a matter of again turning just
not turning the football over, and being a little bit
more accurate from the quarterback position and hitting these guys
when they are open and catching the ball when you're open.
I mean, yeah, that right there is is kind of
hit that would have won the football game today.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Before we hear from the quarterback, let me ask you
a question about JJ McCarthy. Sixteen to thirty two. He
goes for one hundred and fifty yards, a touchdown, and
two picks. He had no runs today. Your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
I don't think that they want him to be a
scrambling quarterback. I didn't see him getting out of the
pocket very much. We didn't have a lot of bootlegs
or anything like that that would give him a run
pass option. So I don't know if there are very
many opportunities there, Paul. You know, this defense was very,
very aggressive. Dennis Allen is known for blitzing, and he
(25:59):
he will, He'll do it repeatedly, over and over and
over again.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
And so I think they attacked it the right way.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Well, they blitzed a lot late and paid for it,
they did.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
And so.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
I don't think you want to try to get the
most you can out of a young quarterback by calling
runs and doing those things, because you're going to put
his health at risk and a bunch of other things
we saw with Jackson Dart. You have him here to
end to be a passer, to be a pocket passer,
to be a team that can throw the ball thirty
five times a game and put up two hundred and
(26:31):
fifty to three hundred.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yards through the air.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
You have the receivers to do it. You're not going
to do that by changing the style of offense and
letting him run. But right now, I mean it's you're
kind of stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime.
I think if you decide if you go that route.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Let's hear from Vikings quarterback J. J.
Speaker 6 (26:48):
McCarthy absolutely sucks gut wrenching loss for us. You know,
got to give credit to our opponent. They had a
great game plan, they played really well in all three phases,
and I need to do a better job my decision making,
the accuracy it needs to change.
Speaker 10 (27:02):
I need to be better and overall execution of the offense.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
I need to be better on just you know, doing
my job at a higher level.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
So I'll open it up to any questions.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
Why do you think your accuracy is so offering it?
Speaker 6 (27:16):
The thing is just growing at the end of the day.
You know, there's a lot of things that I have
to improve on, and accuracy is one of them. And
I promise you I'm going to wake up tomorrow and
get ready to go to get working on that.
Speaker 8 (27:27):
Is it tied to mechanics you think primarily? Is it
tie to your mechanics primarily?
Speaker 3 (27:33):
There's a bunch of different things. I think mechanics is
definitely a big part of it.
Speaker 6 (27:37):
And you know, I feel like, you know, it's just
always a work in progress with everything at the quarterback position.
So just got to wake up tomorrow and get ready
to get back to work.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
And what do you think sometimes things clicking the place,
particularly at really good fourth quarters. I mean, it looked
like you were right on in that last rive.
Speaker 10 (27:57):
I think overall, just as an offense.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
You know, I just need to do a better job
of making sure the rhythm stays there throughout entire sixty minutes.
You know, there's definitely things that we did well today,
but how can we amplify those things? And how could
we eliminate the mistakes? And you know, I take full
responsibility for those mistakes, and I got to make sure
that we come out tomorrow ready to get better.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Jujit, what was what were you.
Speaker 7 (28:19):
Telling yourself going out there for the last for the
last go ahead and dry.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
It's just another drive.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
Obviously it's do our die in that moment, but just
how can I remain poised, remain present and just worry
about the little things like my footwork and my fundamentals
and you know, take it each play by each play
and we'll see where we get at the end of it.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
So, yeah, that was just the thought process. Dad.
Speaker 9 (28:41):
There was a point I think it was in the
third quarter when you missed the past to Justin I
think in third down and you ran up the field
her head here, and so what was kind of going
through your mind at that point?
Speaker 3 (28:51):
You just can't miss those. This league's too hard.
Speaker 6 (28:53):
You know, there's three or five decisions plays that I
want back more than anything, and you know that's one
of them. It's an opportunistic concept against an opportunistic defense, and.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I have to deliver. So I put that completely on me. Obviously.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Did it feel like some of the misthrows started the
snowball at.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
A certain point for you?
Speaker 6 (29:16):
I never really felt the snowball, just because I'm worried
about that next throw and flushed the one that happened previously.
But you know, at the end of the day, whether
it's you know, five in a row, two in a row,
one time, like I.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Just can't have it.
Speaker 10 (29:28):
You know, this league is too hard and I got
to be able to make those throws.
Speaker 8 (29:32):
Use your hand at all.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Any issue today, no excuses, not an issue at all.
It was fine.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
Is the mechanics stuff, like, are you focusing on this
more than maybe you thought you would have to at
this point?
Speaker 6 (29:44):
No, I wouldn't say it's more than I thought or expected.
You know, it's something that I've done my entire life,
and you know, it's just an NFL like it's that
one to two percent, you know, difference that really makes
the biggest So it's just about the consistency of it
is the biggest thing you're doing.
Speaker 8 (30:03):
Your first interception, you had a guy at your legs.
Did that impact your thrower? Did you not see the
guy undercut it there?
Speaker 3 (30:08):
I wasn't able to put everything I wanted on it.
Speaker 6 (30:11):
But obviously with the rotating safety and playing two over
the top, just have to be aware of that guy
and realize we have a flat element tying him down,
but coming from depth, he's going to be really hard
for him to get.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Tied down by a running back.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
So just being aware another great learning lesson against the
coverage like that, and you know, should just check the
ball down to c J.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Hammond kept it moving.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Those are hards to keep this patience in the game,
but also big picture confident yourself.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
No one was Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
There could be better things down the road.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
But how hard is that for you as a computer
to just stay that course?
Speaker 6 (30:43):
The one thing it's too hard for me because I'm
obsessed with the process. I'm obsessed with growing and getting better,
And you know, Ko's the same way, this entire group's
the same way. We just need to make it click
on all three phases for sixty minutes and at the
end of the day. You know, this group is so
tight knit and so determined to just make sure we
get to that point. You know, something we could be
(31:05):
proud of every single Sunday when we leave the stadium.
So we're not there yet, especially as an offense, and
take full responsibility to help make sure we get there.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
I'n do you have so.
Speaker 7 (31:15):
Much success in high school and college and you have
some bumps in the road here now? How do you
process kind of the adversity that you just face on
the field here now?
Speaker 6 (31:25):
And I think adversity is one of the greatest things
for individual growth, collective growth, whatever it is. And you know,
I think it could really separate teams. I bring them
tighter together. And I feel like this team's being brought
tighter and tighter together each and every week.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
But you know, we're just sick of losing.
Speaker 6 (31:41):
Like we want wins every single week, and you know,
we're just gonna do everything we can to make sure
we get those. But adversity is inevitable in this league.
I understood that coming into it, and it's just about
how you respond.
Speaker 10 (31:52):
On the final drive, was there something from a technical
standpoint that it was clicking for you that wasn't early
in the game.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
I just feel like it really wasn't anything different. I
felt extremely prepared going into this game. I felt super
dialed in physically. It's just, you know, something I need
to really figure out to make sure I keep this
thing rolling for sixty minutes consistently. And uh yeah, it's just,
you know, the way we can operate as an offense
when it does look like that, it's a lot of
(32:22):
fun and something that we're all striving for each and
every drive.
Speaker 7 (32:26):
What went through your mind when you hurt Booze?
Speaker 3 (32:28):
It's that one time when you hurt Boobs?
Speaker 7 (32:30):
What went through your mind?
Speaker 6 (32:33):
We got the greatest fans in the world, and they
expect a lot more out of us, and rightfully so.
And I feel like, you know, it's just a reminder
to us that we better get going and we better
figure this out. And you know, obviously, you know, don't
got a whole lot of games left, so the urgency
is at.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
An all time high.
Speaker 10 (32:47):
But you know, we just got to be better for
the fans, especially at home.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
Just is it it's thanktual for you here in those
two minute drill situations, do you feel like you you
kind of lock in a little bit more and you're
able to just play football better.
Speaker 6 (33:00):
I feel like it's the same, you know, mental process
going into each and every drive, but obviously two minute
situation it's a little bit different. How they're going to
play it, how they're gonna call it, and just being
able to rely on the preparation that I had going
into it during those situations, because I spent an extensive
amount of time on end a half, end of game
situations like that, So it was really just the preparation
(33:22):
coming to fruition. But we got to make it come
together on all, you know, three phases and.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Yeah, okay. Lambeau Field next to take on the Green
Bay Packers for the first time this year. The Vikings
are now two and one in the division. The Bears
get their first division win. Their new head coach Ben
Johnson gets his first division win beating the Minnesota Vikings
nineteen to seventeen. That's the postgame report provided by Lumen.
(33:48):
Make sure to stick around here at Vikings dot com
not only for a postgame reaction from the nineteen to
seven seventeen loss to the Bears, but everything that we
will be putting together courtesy of the dot Com and
the Vikings Entertainment Network up to the game at lambeau
Field for Pete Versa John Paul Allen Bears walk off
on the Minnesota Vikings nineteen seventeen
Hey, what's going on? Welcome to the Vikings postgame report.
I'm Paul Allen with the Vikings Audio Network analyst p Persig.
You know, the Vikings have lost six games this year,
and all these games are like snowflakes. They're all the same,
but they're different. So your first home game here against
the Atlanta Falcons, you don't score a touchdown. JJ McCarthy's
(00:38):
home debut. You're at the LA Chargers. You don't necessarily
look that good. Eight fall starts. Last game against the
Baltimore Ravens, well this one today, Cairo Santos walked off
from forty eight yards on the Minnesota Vikings nineteen seventeen.
The Vikings were trailing sixteen to three into the fourth
quarter and staged a dramatic, exciting comeback led by JJ
(01:04):
McCarthy at the end with a touchdown pass to Jordan Addison.
Reiker hits the extra point. They take a seventeen to
sixteen lead with less than a minute to go. But
then there's a kickoff to Devin Douverday, who has two
kick return touchdowns during his career and he's quite lethal.
He ran off to the right side, got deep into
Vikings territory. Santos walked off. The Vikings are four and
(01:26):
six and the Bears are seven to three. This is
all provided by Loomen.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
What's going on, well, I mean, the one thing you
can't do is you can't fault the Minnesota Vikings defense. Paul,
they played, they played their rear ends off today. I mean,
you take a look and you finally at the final
time of possession, it's a fourteen minute swing, fourteen more
minutes that the Chicago Bears have had had the ball today.
(01:52):
They were averaging one hundred and eighty three yards on
the ground over the last couple of games. I got
one hundred and forty today, hit the a top only
a one hundred and eighty through the air, two sacks
and then yeah, then then you plus two in the
take if I mean it's so it's it's like, yeah,
(02:12):
one one section, one group without Jonathan Gernard to come
out and play like they did again. Been nice to
have a couple of turnovers, but we didn't get those.
But a great job by the defense offensively, I mean,
we gotta we gotta figure out something. I mean, our
quarterback with the forty seven rating, the scheme today offensively
and defensively. The schemes were spot on. We had wide
(02:36):
receivers open all throughout the first half of this football game,
especially early on, that were missed.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
The coaches can only set players up to do things.
The players have to be the ones to go out
and execute it. They didn't get that done, especially early
in this football game. And that's that's probably the biggest
takeaway that I have, is that ski ta wise, the
way the players were set up, the routes, those things
they were all there. We just didn't capitalize on them.
(03:07):
Too many drops and you know, then now you can
get into the decision to not kick the ball out
of the back of the end zone. I mean, there's
a lot of different things that you could talk about
forever about this game, but don't lose sight of what
really got us where we were, Yeah, toward the end.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Well, the Kevin O'Connell is six and two lifetime against
the Chicago Bears and the only two losses, which both
are here at US Bank Stadium. The Vikings were minus
two in the turnover differential all right into the game.
The Bears were plus fourteen, number one in the NFL.
The Vikings were minus seven. All right, So the Vikings
finished minus nine in the take give the Bears at
(03:44):
plus sixteen. That's It's you can't lose the turnover battle
to this team as methodically as they play, and like
you said, there are details into which we can dive,
like that lass kick return and some other things. And
you know McCarthy's up and down performance. However, as Kevin
O'Connell would say, give me your best when your best
(04:06):
is required. That's what McCarthy and the skill guys did
on offense to basically look like they were gonna nip
these guys at the wire. Yeah, but you go minus
two to this team and you're gonna lose eight or
nine out of ten times.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah, you are. You're gonna lose.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
You're gonna lose about eighty percent of the games that
you play, close to probably ninety percent when your minus
two on the take give. It's just you're just giving
the other teams too many possessions, too much time, too
many opportunities. Paul, and uh, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So where are we? Where are we with all of this?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I don't know, right, I don't know. It's one of
the concerns that I have too, is just the number
of receptions justin Jefferson is getting. He's been averaging with
McCarthy four yards four point four receptions per game and
I think he only had four today by the end
of it. So you know, there's that's on the back
side of all of this. But we got the penalty
(05:01):
thing figured out for the most part. Now, we got
to just stop turning the football over. And interceptions are
are what's killing us. And you know the the Bayern interception,
that was a great play by Bayer. I'm gonna givehim.
I'm gonna give him credit. What credits do he McCarthy
didn't see him hovering out there in the flat. He
had eyes on the seven rout behind him, got underneath
that thing, the other one he was it was it
(05:23):
was an open Jordan Addison to Shaun Wright was beat
and he threw the ball behind him and Seawn Wright
comes back and makes a great catch. That should have
been a touchdown right there, amongst some other plays that
you know that occurred that could have been or may
have been touchdowns that were missed. So the bottom line
is your four and six. Where do you go from here?
(05:44):
You gotta go to Green Bay against a Packers team
that I don't know how they finished up today, but
they're struggling as well. So it's you know, this this loss,
you lose your undefeated streak against the NFC NFC North
and then on top of it, you know, one and
(06:05):
four at home.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah that's uh, well, McCarthy still doesn't have a win
at home.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Right, and so I think today was his first passing
touchdown at home right last week?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Last week?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Why that's right.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So yeah, you got to get him a win at home,
and we still got He's a young quarterback. We still have,
we still have, you know, a long way to go,
and it's hard and it's frustrating and yep to you know,
to see the defense place well missing Jonathan Grenard so encouraging,
but at the same time, we're not playing all three
phases the way we have we need to.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Well.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Here at vikings dot Com, you will see Tatum Everett
end up Ben Lieber doing between the lines. We see
Tatum Everett at Scoreboard Central where Pete asked a question
and she provided the answer immediately. Green Bay beat the
Giants at MetLife twenty seven to twenty. So we had
to Lambeau to play a Packers team that that may
have lost Josh Jacobs not only for the day, but
(06:58):
for a little bit. Nevertheless, that's the and this is
now before we start hearing some press conference action. You're
a former coach in the NFL, all right, your coach
linebackers for half a decade, so you've heard whether it's
Denny Green, a coach for whom you played, Lou Holtz
a Notre Dame, or Mike Tice. Here, if you're Kevin O'Connell,
(07:18):
a raising kids ain't easy professionally or personally, all right,
So that was McCarthy's fifth start, So they're still better
to come. I think we all know that. But if
you're Kevin O'Connell and you schemed so many guys open
so frequently during the course of the game, how do
you handle that?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, you just got to keep doing what you're doing.
You got to keep doing what you're doing. You've got
to pour everything that you've got into developing this young
quarterback and see how he responds, because that's very telling, right,
that's the only that's the only thing that you have
to answer now is is he the guy going forward?
And you're not going to do him any favors by
(07:58):
changing what you do to much, by not being or
not having the identity that you've had as a passing
team over the last four seasons. It's it's a very
tough thing to do that balance to walk. Yeah, but
guys are getting open. It's just a matter of executing it.
And patients should be thinned. Demands should be going up
(08:22):
of these players and of you know what you need
from them. This is the NFL, right, I mean, in
a fifty percent completion rate is not going to get
it done. So what needs to be fixed with that?
And I mean you've got some firepower on offense that's
sitting on the shelf that really we haven't been able
to use because of those struggles, and that has to
(08:44):
be fixed as quickly as possible.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
All Right, let's hear from Minnesota Vikings, said coach Kevin
O'Connell following a walk off win by the Chicago Bears.
It was Cairo Santos from forty eight they win nineteen
seventeen years Ko.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
We knew coming into the game that this team had
won all of their games by winning the turnover margin,
and we lost that two to zero and did a
lot of things that did a lot of things as
a football team to try to battle and continue to
overcome the adversity that we kind of face in many cases,
you know, calls by ourselves and just some certain aspects
(09:20):
of the game today. Proud of the way they competed,
but not good enough to win overall. And I love
the fight to get the lead at the end, and
they made a play to get the ball in field
goal range on the kickoff return, and they made that
play which ended up being a winning play in a
game that was quite honestly something that you know, we
(09:42):
did a lot of the things that we talked about
not doing, and the main thing being the turnovers and
got to take a look at them obviously. But I
was proud of the way we ran the ball, you know,
tried to stick with it as much as we could.
Ended up with a couple of two minute drives there
where we had to go and maybe became one dimensional.
But for the most part, the guys up front felt
(10:02):
like we protected I think we had we limited the negatives.
For the most part, we just felt like we were
a play away all day.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
So just JJ's accuracy and I guess, how did you
evaluate kind of throughout the game.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
You know, obviously you feel certain things when you're you know,
when you're calling things, seeing coverages kind of express themselves
and you think maybe there's you know, some ops out there,
But I always have to really evaluate it from a
standpoint of of of what it looked like on the
tape and if there were it felt like protection wise,
outside of a few plays I can think of, you know,
(10:38):
we tried to keep them clean. I like the protection
plan we had against some looks that we that have
caused some people problems on.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Some of those third downs.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
And then overall just you know, felt like we were
one or two pitching catches away from from maybe you know,
having a little bit different dynamic to the game throughout.
So I don't want to pinpoint one particular area, but yeah,
there was there were some plays you think of as
you kind of roll through the game from you know,
start to finish. But I also thought there were some
(11:07):
plays we could have made for him as well, and
we just got to you know, stay the course and
continue to coach the principles that we believe in wholeheartedly,
and and uh continue to try to pave the path
for improvement and and like It starts with the pitching
and catching and and how we're putting things together and
trying to make it, you know, as as quarterback friendly
(11:28):
as we can. We'll still you know, being able to
run the football and stay efficient throughout the day.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
And how hard is that way?
Speaker 6 (11:35):
You have to give him the time to just progress
through what he needs to progress.
Speaker 7 (11:40):
But going into that locker room after that game, where
you know, the final margin was one play this.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Way either, Yeah, And that's what I told our team.
We've learned some We've learned some hard lessons on that margin,
you know, that that razor thin margin of what.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
These games come down to.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
You know, I think there's a lot of things, whether
that field goal goes through at the end or not,
that for us to become the team we want to be,
we've got to work towards those things in all three phases.
And the one thing I know for sure is this team, Uh,
you know, I gathered him up at the end and
and had every eyeball and every guy in that in
that circle. And we've got great leadership, and we've got
(12:17):
great fight and just the examples of our practice weeks
and what we've felt like coming out of our practice
weeks into these games with a lot of confidence because
of the work that gets put in.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
That's exactly what we're gonna keep doing.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
It started to look like it just was snowballing on JJ.
The incompletion is the wild throws. What were you seeing
on the sideline as you talked to him in between series?
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Yeah, it was, you know, just a couple of those plays.
You know, he he was, he was frustrated, and I
just I just kept telling him, you know, feet and eyes,
feet and eyes and and the and the things that
we saw throughout the week on the practice field, Uh,
you know, make it about that. And and I thought
he did some nice things, you know, checking the ball
down a couple of times. Yeah, we might have you know,
(12:58):
missed some chances down the field in the playpass game,
or miss some chances you know, maybe to convert on
some third downs and get a new set of downs
and can continue with the rhythm. But it's just about
the next play in that moment.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
You can't. You're obviously coaching principles.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
And I know Josh is coaching uh you know, footwork
and technique, and I'm trying to call things that I
feel will have the best chance to give him rhythm throws,
but uh, you know, at the same time, just find
different types of throws that I know he I've seen
you know him hit and start stacking him. And then
I will say I was really proud of the way
he finished that drive, uh, throwing, throwing some completions, you
(13:35):
know the fourth down, you know, they brought a kind
of different kind of zero than than what we saw.
He sped it up to Addison and then we're able
to kind of finish that drive for a touchdown. Yeah,
So there's there's gonna be you know, with a with
a young quarterback, there's going to be a lot of
things that will will pinpoint and continue to highlight and
tie that preparation throughout the week and our plans to uh,
(13:56):
you know what he does well and and continue to
coach the things that where we feel the emphasis.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Needs to be on. But it's part of the young
QB journey.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
It just results like today, and especially when you're able
to kind of fight through it all get the lead.
You would love to be making a lot of those
growth coaching points and development coaching points with a one
point win, but credit the Bears for getting it done
in the end.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
I mean you only had just.
Speaker 7 (14:19):
The one false start, but it goes from third and
two to thirty seven, that kind of a point where
you third two would.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Have been good for you. Yeah, does that change your call?
Speaker 7 (14:28):
Do you remember?
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Like what?
Speaker 9 (14:29):
Because see I think you threw kind of wild high.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I think it was.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
It did not change the call other than the fact that,
you know, the the cadence changed a little bit. You know,
you know, we were on a smooth, quick cadence you know,
which in a lot of ways is essentially like walking
up to the line of scrimmage and saying said, hut,
not to give all of our information out there, but
that's what you know. There's there's teams at different levels
(14:57):
of football that are that that run that cadence, and
and we, in a big moment, didn't didn't execute that.
It looked like our tackles got off the ball on
the cadence, and whether it was just not loud enough
or whatever it was, it looked like we were navigating
our way through the day without any of them after
the work that had been put in.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
So that was very frustrating. Kevin.
Speaker 7 (15:19):
We mentioned a young quarterback journey and just what is
the balance for you right now? Trying to manage that
with also just the result finals.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Yeah, it's it's they're there.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
You know, what's what's best for the young quarterback, what's
best for our offense, what's best for the team. That's
my job to manage all those things, and I've got
to do a better job of that.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
What was your thought process today on that?
Speaker 9 (15:42):
On that balance? Obviously I think sixteen to three at
some point there and he's really scuffling, and I mean,
I know you want to win the game too, so
like how do you kind of decide, Okay, he's going
to keep going or are we gonna.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
Yeah, you know, it's all those things you're you're kind
of working through knowing that. Uh, you know, I think
when we got that that big time return from from
miles you know to score.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
You know, I ran it two times, you know.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Directly off of that sudden change, which is uh, which
is unique, you know if you're if you're looking back
over the the catalog over the years. But our guys
responded and put the ball on the end zone. So uh,
you know, I liked I liked the fact of how
our early downs matched with how we wanted to play
the game we didn't have I think we I think
we had one the one pre snap that that Mark
(16:30):
was referencing, and then I think we had maybe one
negative play all day. I can't I can't remember too
many times where I was kind of getting out of
the rhythm of what we wanted to get to. And
I think that's where some of the explosive plays chances
maybe presented themselves. And what you know, when you can
hit one or two of those, and we did. We
(16:50):
you know, we married up a couple of things and
hit some play pass. Uh just you know, had a
few more opportunities, and you know, I didn't take advantage
of them, and uh, they will be tremendous growth opportunities
from this tape for our whole team. It's not just
our young quarterback, for our whole team. But it's week eleven,
and you know, the the division games and the home
(17:10):
games and those things that are so important, you know,
make you have to manage all those things to try
to just show up here today and try to go
one to.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Know, and that's not just at the start of the game,
that's throughout.
Speaker 5 (17:19):
It's the second half when you're trying to navigate your
way to just getting the lead and then you know,
there was a great feeling there when we had it.
But like I said, credit them for finding a way
to win the game.
Speaker 9 (17:29):
The finer point on, is there a level of performance
that he would get the need to get to for
you to consider whether he's just to be replaced.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
In the game. Yeah, I don't. I'm not going to
get into any of that right now.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
Do you see a theme with any of the drops,
Like with any of the drops, like, is any of
that time to just passing game rhythm?
Speaker 3 (17:49):
You feel like in terms of time?
Speaker 5 (17:51):
No, I mean, like I said, I would have to
go back and look at it, like what we're deeming,
you know, a true drop versus you know, are the
guys having to work, you know to make frame you know,
catches consistently outside the frame of the body. I mean,
I thought some of some of our best completions of
the day, you know, we're we're well thrown footballs and
(18:12):
guys made some plays for him as well. You know,
maybe on some plays were either we were you know,
a little out in front or a little it got
away from us a little bit. But I think it
still just comes back to you know, each individual play
is going to be magnified, especially when you are you know,
running things and setting things up and you know, trying
(18:33):
to maintain a rhythm for the For the offense, part
of maintaining that is just finding a way to pitch
and catch on a couple of those looks where maybe
you get what you want, maybe you don't, but when
you do, you know it's the pitch and catch element
that has kind of made this offense you know, you know,
kind of fit. So continue to strive for that and
learn huge like I said, huge growth learning opportunity out
(18:55):
in front of us. That doesn't make any of this easier,
but at the same time, it is. It is the truth,
and we'll continue to coach as hard as we possibly can.
And I know for a fact everybody on our team
is going to continue to work like crazy to try
to go one And know every week, if.
Speaker 8 (19:11):
You said earlier this week, sometimes you get a heat
of battle, bad habits creep back in. Is that so
that means fundamentals and that's why you're constantly saying feet,
knives and bounce.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Yeah, it's you know, whether it's just the initial posture
where we've just learned that when he has great posture,
you know, at the top of drops, he throws the
ball really well.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
He did it Friday, did it Thursday?
Speaker 5 (19:33):
I think I even referenced on Friday the type of
practices we had. Uh, it's a consistency factor of a
you know, navigating through four quarters of a game.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
You know, when you when you.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
You maybe miss one and feel some push here somewhere
in an NFL pocket. That's what it is every single Sunday,
for every single player that plays a position in this league.
And then on top of that you start talking about
pocket movement and what is a pocket movement. It's continuing
to try to you exhaust your progression or maintain number one.
(20:03):
You know, if there's a little bit of movement here
and there, and how do I get and contain it?
Continue to have that posture while there is a you know,
a place in the pocket to work through it. And
then if you're gonna get moved off the spot, like
what happens to many quarterbacks, you you know, move off
the spot and find your checkdown elements or make a
play with your legs working off schedule play. There's there's
(20:24):
the you know, we've got to continue to get better
at the the play as is as it's called, and
we've certainly seen him use his athleticism to make some
plays as well. But to me, it comes down to
a lot of core principles of just, you know, consistently
every snap, whether it's number one all the way to
you know, however many we got today fifty four which
isn't enough, but one through fifty four, we control what
(20:47):
we can from a standpoint of techniques and fundamentals and
our decision making.
Speaker 7 (20:52):
Did you see any trouble with his fundamentalsson Michigan. Is
this something that came about sitting out in.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Here or no.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
I think it's just, you know, I I think the
the element of you know, moving forward into you know,
an NFL offense and and uh, you know, just the
types of throws, the tighter hashes, the more space in the.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Middle of the field. The game's different.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
But but no, I I thought some of some of
his most impactful plays were on some of those weighty
downs and and he's had some very impactful plays on
those weighty downs for us as well. Just looking for
the consistency factor to be, you know, from a standpoint
of just.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
What is what is my job? What what am I
being asked to do?
Speaker 5 (21:36):
And and and when he when we start there and
we check those boxes, there's normally been some good, good
football that follows.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
And that's just the journey in the path of a
young player learning that lesson and and and applying it
as we move forward.
Speaker 9 (21:49):
Here, just get out, have a guy out of his
way there.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Yeah, I got to take a look at it.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
You know, those are always tough for me to judge,
but yeah, that was a massive, massive play in a
day where the special teams units have had had had
such a role in helping us win the field position battle.
I mean, you know, I think our average drive start
was the thirty two, and there were some quality returns
that that you know, that contributed to that. I think
(22:17):
we had one holding call that forced us to start
a little bit backed up on a nice return by
by Miles. But then that one play, and it's just
the nature of when you're losing the turnover battle and
and maybe you're leaving some plays out there, your margin
of error becomes very razor thin for your whole team.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
And that just.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Becomes each and every snap, no matter whether it's offense, defense,
or in.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
The kicking game, are massive and one.
Speaker 5 (22:40):
Play, one play that they make or one play that
you don't could could alter your chances of winning the game.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Does it feel like it's been harder to hang on
to momentum like either game to game or.
Speaker 7 (22:53):
In that instance Free particularly the one play later they
had the.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Momentum right back.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
Yeah, you know, you could feel it in the building,
you know, when we're and you could feel the momentum.
It's a great way to describe it. When JJ throws
the touchdown Jordan two minute drill. You know, as I
told him earlier in the game, no matter what this
day has been like, I'm going to tell you at
the end of this you just you just move the
ball down the field to help us win this game.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
And I'm proud of you.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
And I told him that just once again. The result
the result didn't end up staying seventeen sixteen, and they
beat us by making them play there and then making
the kick.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
All right, So before we head into Sunday evening and
we get into nine to noon on the flagship KFA
and tomorrow you at ten o'clock every Monday, what do
you think the fan base related response is going to
be from the running game or lack thereof, because personally
speaking from an organic standpoint, having not looked back at
(23:54):
you know, any box counts or you know, any of
the super special particular NFL stuff, it felt like they
gave the running game and honest tried today.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, they had to. I think, you know, the running
game kind of bounced back in the fourth quarter and
that's when JJ McCarthy is passer rating was was close
to single digits. It was only twelve thirteen somewhere hovering
around there. They had to run the football and they
did so to get one hundred and fifteen yards on
the ground. We talked, you know the Bears. The Bears
(24:24):
had only forced twenty three punts all season, and I
think they forced six or seven today by the Minnesota Vikings.
So running the football I thought was going to be
a pillar of what the offense was going to try
to do. We got to it late because I think
we had to, and it worked well. So, you know,
Aaron Jones, you know, Jordan Mason. Great job by those
(24:47):
guys on the ground, the offensive line, Will Fryes being
very very physical. I like that part of it. Upfront
protection was pretty good for the most part all day long. Really,
it's like the things that have haunted us in the past.
You know, we're overcoming them, but so you got to
keep going. But you can't and you can't give up
the progress that you've made in protection and in penalties
(25:07):
and everything else. It's a matter of again turning just
not turning the football over, and being a little bit
more accurate from the quarterback position and hitting these guys
when they are open and catching the ball when you're open.
I mean, yeah, that right there is is kind of
hit that would have won the football game today.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Before we hear from the quarterback, let me ask you
a question about JJ McCarthy. Sixteen to thirty two. He
goes for one hundred and fifty yards, a touchdown, and
two picks. He had no runs today. Your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
I don't think that they want him to be a
scrambling quarterback. I didn't see him getting out of the
pocket very much. We didn't have a lot of bootlegs
or anything like that that would give him a run
pass option. So I don't know if there are very
many opportunities there, Paul. You know, this defense was very,
very aggressive. Dennis Allen is known for blitzing, and he
(25:59):
he will, He'll do it repeatedly, over and over and
over again.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
And so I think they attacked it the right way.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Well, they blitzed a lot late and paid for it,
they did.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
And so.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
I don't think you want to try to get the
most you can out of a young quarterback by calling
runs and doing those things, because you're going to put
his health at risk and a bunch of other things
we saw with Jackson Dart. You have him here to
end to be a passer, to be a pocket passer,
to be a team that can throw the ball thirty
five times a game and put up two hundred and
(26:31):
fifty to three hundred.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yards through the air.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
You have the receivers to do it. You're not going
to do that by changing the style of offense and
letting him run. But right now, I mean it's you're
kind of stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime.
I think if you decide if you go that route.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Let's hear from Vikings quarterback J. J.
Speaker 6 (26:48):
McCarthy absolutely sucks gut wrenching loss for us. You know,
got to give credit to our opponent. They had a
great game plan, they played really well in all three phases,
and I need to do a better job my decision making,
the accuracy it needs to change.
Speaker 10 (27:02):
I need to be better and overall execution of the offense.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
I need to be better on just you know, doing
my job at a higher level.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
So I'll open it up to any questions.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
Why do you think your accuracy is so offering it?
Speaker 6 (27:16):
The thing is just growing at the end of the day.
You know, there's a lot of things that I have
to improve on, and accuracy is one of them. And
I promise you I'm going to wake up tomorrow and
get ready to go to get working on that.
Speaker 8 (27:27):
Is it tied to mechanics you think primarily? Is it
tie to your mechanics primarily?
Speaker 3 (27:33):
There's a bunch of different things. I think mechanics is
definitely a big part of it.
Speaker 6 (27:37):
And you know, I feel like, you know, it's just
always a work in progress with everything at the quarterback position.
So just got to wake up tomorrow and get ready
to get back to work.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
And what do you think sometimes things clicking the place,
particularly at really good fourth quarters. I mean, it looked
like you were right on in that last rive.
Speaker 10 (27:57):
I think overall, just as an offense.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
You know, I just need to do a better job
of making sure the rhythm stays there throughout entire sixty minutes.
You know, there's definitely things that we did well today,
but how can we amplify those things? And how could
we eliminate the mistakes? And you know, I take full
responsibility for those mistakes, and I got to make sure
that we come out tomorrow ready to get better.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Jujit, what was what were you.
Speaker 7 (28:19):
Telling yourself going out there for the last for the
last go ahead and dry.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
It's just another drive.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
Obviously it's do our die in that moment, but just
how can I remain poised, remain present and just worry
about the little things like my footwork and my fundamentals
and you know, take it each play by each play
and we'll see where we get at the end of it.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
So, yeah, that was just the thought process. Dad.
Speaker 9 (28:41):
There was a point I think it was in the
third quarter when you missed the past to Justin I
think in third down and you ran up the field
her head here, and so what was kind of going
through your mind at that point?
Speaker 3 (28:51):
You just can't miss those. This league's too hard.
Speaker 6 (28:53):
You know, there's three or five decisions plays that I
want back more than anything, and you know that's one
of them. It's an opportunistic concept against an opportunistic defense, and.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I have to deliver. So I put that completely on me. Obviously.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Did it feel like some of the misthrows started the
snowball at.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
A certain point for you?
Speaker 6 (29:16):
I never really felt the snowball, just because I'm worried
about that next throw and flushed the one that happened previously.
But you know, at the end of the day, whether
it's you know, five in a row, two in a row,
one time, like I.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Just can't have it.
Speaker 10 (29:28):
You know, this league is too hard and I got
to be able to make those throws.
Speaker 8 (29:32):
Use your hand at all.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Any issue today, no excuses, not an issue at all.
It was fine.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
Is the mechanics stuff, like, are you focusing on this
more than maybe you thought you would have to at
this point?
Speaker 6 (29:44):
No, I wouldn't say it's more than I thought or expected.
You know, it's something that I've done my entire life,
and you know, it's just an NFL like it's that
one to two percent, you know, difference that really makes
the biggest So it's just about the consistency of it
is the biggest thing you're doing.
Speaker 8 (30:03):
Your first interception, you had a guy at your legs.
Did that impact your thrower? Did you not see the
guy undercut it there?
Speaker 3 (30:08):
I wasn't able to put everything I wanted on it.
Speaker 6 (30:11):
But obviously with the rotating safety and playing two over
the top, just have to be aware of that guy
and realize we have a flat element tying him down,
but coming from depth, he's going to be really hard
for him to get.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Tied down by a running back.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
So just being aware another great learning lesson against the
coverage like that, and you know, should just check the
ball down to c J.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Hammond kept it moving.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Those are hards to keep this patience in the game,
but also big picture confident yourself.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
No one was Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
There could be better things down the road.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
But how hard is that for you as a computer
to just stay that course?
Speaker 6 (30:43):
The one thing it's too hard for me because I'm
obsessed with the process. I'm obsessed with growing and getting better,
And you know, Ko's the same way, this entire group's
the same way. We just need to make it click
on all three phases for sixty minutes and at the
end of the day. You know, this group is so
tight knit and so determined to just make sure we
get to that point. You know, something we could be
(31:05):
proud of every single Sunday when we leave the stadium.
So we're not there yet, especially as an offense, and
take full responsibility to help make sure we get there.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
I'n do you have so.
Speaker 7 (31:15):
Much success in high school and college and you have
some bumps in the road here now? How do you
process kind of the adversity that you just face on
the field here now?
Speaker 6 (31:25):
And I think adversity is one of the greatest things
for individual growth, collective growth, whatever it is. And you know,
I think it could really separate teams. I bring them
tighter together. And I feel like this team's being brought
tighter and tighter together each and every week.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
But you know, we're just sick of losing.
Speaker 6 (31:41):
Like we want wins every single week, and you know,
we're just gonna do everything we can to make sure
we get those. But adversity is inevitable in this league.
I understood that coming into it, and it's just about
how you respond.
Speaker 10 (31:52):
On the final drive, was there something from a technical
standpoint that it was clicking for you that wasn't early
in the game.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
I just feel like it really wasn't anything different. I
felt extremely prepared going into this game. I felt super
dialed in physically. It's just, you know, something I need
to really figure out to make sure I keep this
thing rolling for sixty minutes consistently. And uh yeah, it's just,
you know, the way we can operate as an offense
when it does look like that, it's a lot of
(32:22):
fun and something that we're all striving for each and
every drive.
Speaker 7 (32:26):
What went through your mind when you hurt Booze?
Speaker 3 (32:28):
It's that one time when you hurt Boobs?
Speaker 7 (32:30):
What went through your mind?
Speaker 6 (32:33):
We got the greatest fans in the world, and they
expect a lot more out of us, and rightfully so.
And I feel like, you know, it's just a reminder
to us that we better get going and we better
figure this out. And you know, obviously, you know, don't
got a whole lot of games left, so the urgency
is at.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
An all time high.
Speaker 10 (32:47):
But you know, we just got to be better for
the fans, especially at home.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
Just is it it's thanktual for you here in those
two minute drill situations, do you feel like you you
kind of lock in a little bit more and you're
able to just play football better.
Speaker 6 (33:00):
I feel like it's the same, you know, mental process
going into each and every drive, but obviously two minute
situation it's a little bit different. How they're going to
play it, how they're gonna call it, and just being
able to rely on the preparation that I had going
into it during those situations, because I spent an extensive
amount of time on end a half, end of game
situations like that, So it was really just the preparation
(33:22):
coming to fruition. But we got to make it come
together on all, you know, three phases and.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Yeah, okay. Lambeau Field next to take on the Green
Bay Packers for the first time this year. The Vikings
are now two and one in the division. The Bears
get their first division win. Their new head coach Ben
Johnson gets his first division win beating the Minnesota Vikings
nineteen to seventeen. That's the postgame report provided by Lumen.
(33:48):
Make sure to stick around here at Vikings dot com
not only for a postgame reaction from the nineteen to
seven seventeen loss to the Bears, but everything that we
will be putting together courtesy of the dot Com and
the Vikings Entertainment Network up to the game at lambeau
Field for Pete Versa John Paul Allen Bears walk off
on the Minnesota Vikings nineteen seventeen
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