October 24, 2025 • 26 mins
Welcome back to the Vikings Postgame Report presented by Lumen - The trusted network of A.I. The Minnesota Vikings dropped their Week 8 matchup to the Los Angeles Chargers, 37-10, at SoFi Stadium on Thursday. The Vikings lone touchdown of the game came on a 4-yard pass to Receiver Jordan Addison in the 3rd quarter. Quarterback Carson Wentz finished the game 15-of-27 passing for 144 yards, a touchdown and one interception. Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson led the team with 7 receptions for 74 yards. Running Back Zavier Scott led the ground game with 2 carries for 15 yards. Defensively, Linebacker Jonathan Greenard and Defensive Tackle Jonathan Allen each had a sack, while Safety Josh Metellus had the Vikings lone interception in the game. Kicker Will Reichard finished the game 1-of-2 on field goals and 1-of-1 on extra points. Paul Allen and Pete Bercich breakdown the game, including: the need for the Vikings to learn and move on, young players getting some playing opportunities in the coming weeks, and the challenge posed by the upcoming season schedule. Plus, Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Quarterback Carson Wentz 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
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Speaker 1 (00:18):
Hey, it's the Vikings postgame report courtesy of Lumen from
unbelievably Loud Sofi Stadium with Pete versus. I'm Paul Allen
when I say unbelievably loud, with all due respect, and
I'm not talking about the crowd with Chargers fans or anything.
I just don't understand the difference between the Rams and
the Chargers here at Sofi where it's just so loud
(00:39):
with the hype machine and everything. But you know what,
they had reason to be excited with their Chargers, who
scored thirty seven points on the Minnesota Vikings. That's the
most points the Vikings have given up since Brian Flores
became defensive coordinator. They lose by twenty seven. Pete bursus
your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Well, there's just there's not a lot you could take
away from this, and there's not a lot that you
can point to to say that, hey, if we did
a play here or play there. I mean, when you
look at what happened with the Eagles, you just point
to a play here or play there, a game that
could have easily been won. But on a game like tonight,
when the Chargers have nine possessions, they score on seven
(01:19):
of them.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Wow, and the only one.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
The only possessions they didn't score on were a missfield
goal and an interception. So yeah, it's it's hard.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
It's hard.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
It's hard to find the positive right now. But these
guys have to have to bring this scene together. It's
not gonna get it easier. You gotta get ready, you
gotta go go to Detroit.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
The La Chargers ran for two hundred seven yards. Kamani
Vidal second year from Troy. The only reason he's playing
is because veteran Najee Harris got knocked out for the
season earlier this year and Amari and Hampton, a rookie
running back they love who had two touchdowns. He also
went to ir so Kamani Vadal twenty three run, one
(02:00):
hundred and seventeen yards, first touchdown of his career. Uh,
what you know. With the injuries the Vikings have suffered
this season, specifically to the offensive line, Andrew van Ginkel
didn't play again, but still on the interior, Cashman has
come back, Pace played, Wilson played Allen and so on.
And I bring that up because a lot of these
(02:22):
runs were between the tackles.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah they were, and I think for the running game.
You know, early on Herbert ran for about sixty two
yards or so, and that was obviously bootlegs pulling the
ball down and that wore up, that wore out the front,
and you're right, that's kind of the one area of
this team, the defensive interior where yeah, I mean, Cashman
(02:45):
was out for a few weeks, but we're pretty healthy
there now. And you know, for the the Chargers, they
dominated the line of scrimmage, Paul, I mean, well, I mean,
what else can you say now? And you had to
take a hard look at some things and figure out
outside of Jalen Redman, and it's, uh, it's kind of
hard to find anybody.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Jonathan Allen getting his first sack tonight, so that's obviously
a good thing. But for the most part, the defensive
front just didn't control the line of scrimmage. But but
it was an eventual thing. It was just the length
of time that they were on the field. I'll possessed
almost two to one and and short week and all
those things that uh, and that you got to you
(03:24):
got to get a tip of the cap to the Chargers.
They they came out and dominated this football game.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
And uh, moving forward with the Vikings next game a
week from Sunday at fort Field against the Lions. Uh
the the the sweat, well, there are myriad sweats when
it comes to like Hals McCarthy's ankle doing uh dari
saw is is he? How is he healing? Played about
a quarter then he had to leave. Will O'Neill be
back probably, but Josh Oliver, Josh Oliver left this game
(03:50):
on a cart. So now we're sweating that.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
We are and he's such a huge part of the
running game of what we're trying to do. So you know,
the young guys, they they they have to pick it up.
You've got you've got to find somebody else to step up.
I think Hockinson's been doing a great job. You know,
he's he's really stepped up and done a lot of blocking.
We've had these tight ends involved in pass protection so much,
(04:13):
you know, over the last couple of weeks just because
of injuries. And then you have someone like Ben Eurosex.
So you're a SEC. Now this is his opportunity, right
he underrafted rookie free agent, had a really good preseason.
Now he's gonna have to step up and become a
dual threat in for this offense.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, had this
to say following the thirty seven to ten LA Chargers win.
Speaker 5 (04:41):
Get to the injury update here in a second, but nothing,
nothing much to say. We got out played, we got
out coached. We we did not There are no excuses. Injuries,
short week, whatever it is that is not in any way,
shape or form our standard of what we want to
on the field. And we've got, as I told our team,
(05:02):
we've got an opportunity in front.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
Of us where we need to own this.
Speaker 5 (05:09):
This is not a bury the tape kind of time
for our organization. This is a watch it, view it
own it. Every coach, every player, and it starts with me.
I did not have our team prepared to play, and
we'll go back to many.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Aspects of.
Speaker 5 (05:30):
What we need to improve on from a standpoint, in
many way, shape or form on initial feel, it feels
like a lot of technique, fundamentals, things that are correctable.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
I believe in our players wholeheartedly.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
I believe in every opportunity we have, We're going to
go out there and put our best foot forward, both
on the practice field and every opportunity we have as
a team. I think we'll be able to get you know,
healthy in some spots here that that you know are
critical for our ability to have success. But once again,
injuries and any other excuse, if you go looking for him,
(06:04):
you'll find him.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
We will not be doing that.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
We're going to meet this head on as an organization
and that's what we're gonna do. Injury wise, Christian Darsal
tried to give it a go. I want to commend
him for trying to do that on a short week,
coming off of what's been a trying time for him
early on in the season, after such a catastrophic significant
injury a year ago. Just couldn't just couldn't, you know,
(06:28):
continue to.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Give it a go.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
Josh Oliver X rays were negative on his right foot,
but we will need to MRI that foot ankle and
see what's going on there.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
He's pretty sore.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
Jeff Acuda did get a concussion, and Jonathan Gernard got
a right ankle.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
He'll also be evaluated tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Kevin Blake said there was.
Speaker 5 (06:52):
Yet no I think I think we've got to you know,
there was there were some times where yeah, we were
we were down on the edges, you know, at the
tackle spot.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
But it felt like it was more than that.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
To me, It felt like there was some sloppiness, like
Blake said in the interior, getting guys covered up, uh,
seeing if we could simply you know, execute our quick
game at times was was you know, more difficult than
it should be, you know, in some of those ball
out plays, trying to you know, avoid you know, uh,
(07:28):
you know, certain I would have liked to get more
runs off, but it's a circumstance where you're also trying
to make sure you're not walking yourself right into third.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
And and very very long with.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
The need to try to get eligibles out and and
also protect on both edges.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
So it is a it's a little bit of a
you know, trying to figure out the best way to
activate the healthy players we do have, you know, in
our receiving corps and you know t J in the
passing game. But I got to do a better job,
you know, minig eating the challenges that we face in
a game like we did tonight, and it wasn't good enough.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Carson looked like he was in pain.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
He's physically a good part of the game.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Yeah, we kept on, you know, we kept on, you know,
checking in maybe getting Max ready to go. But he
you know, I you know, Tyler was coming to me
a lot tonight, but every time he seemed to update
me on that.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
You know, Carson was uh, you know, he was sore
going into it, and he was able.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
He took obviously quite a few hits and and uh,
but he was able to you know, I asked him
multiple times, you know, where he was at, and he
he he said he was good and wanted to keep going.
I know, it did seem like he was, you know,
in pain there a couple of times, a few times.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I think, holding Maxwell and the injuries of this kind
of basics.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah, we did.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
I think, you know what you have to you know,
Carson's a veteran player. He understands kind of some of
our circumstances tonight. I think it's very difficult to ask,
you know, a rookie to go in there for his
first performance and you know, have to be kind of
weathering it, you know a little bit for the group.
(09:12):
I did, you know, I did think about that at
different times in the game. But at the same time,
you know, the confidence we have in Max and the
upside we see in Max is real. We just you know,
you also don't want to send him out there and
force a level of kind of figured out this that's
probably beyond a guy playing for the first time, and
that was kind of where the decision was to continue
(09:35):
to go with Carson as long as you know, Carson
felt like he was healthy enough to keep playing, and
the medical team did as well.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
How will you approach that position here in the next
week or.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
So, Yeah, I think, you know, as we talked about
earlier in the week, we you know, we worked out
JJ and he was close and JJ and the medical
staff kind of didn't quite feel like he was he
was there yet, but there was a lot of encouragement that,
especially at the time we have Kevin and where he's
at and the confidence level he thinks he can get to.
(10:06):
You know, if JJ is healthy, JJ w'll play. That's
been the case since the injury. That's always been kind
of my mindset, and I.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Believe we're right.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
You know, we're right, you know, hopefully around the corner
from seeing him be healthy, have a week of preparation
and go compete, because that's really you know, that's what
he wants and that's what he's been working towards. You know,
I know there was a lot of estimates on what
the injury timeline and everything with a high ankle.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
It ended up being you know, on on the longer end,
but about what we thought.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
And we'll see, we'll see how Carson comes out tonight
as far as what our overall quarterback depth looks like.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
But we will prepare.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
We'll prepare our team, you know, at every position based
upon what our health looks like. But we also need
to be ready to go to work on the practice
field and improve because that is not, like I said,
to our standard in any capacity.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Christians something different with the news servers yesterday.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Now, I think what you're you know, it's you know,
whether it was in London or in Dublin going to
London and in the high snap count, or it's just
the fact that you know, we we have Christian on
a pro a plan of attack every week based upon
the idea of the type of injury he's coming back from.
And I'm not going to go into detail with what
that injury.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Was, but I would just say there there's a layer two.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Christian doing everything he can, but you know, when he
has a higher snap count, or you're on a very
very short week with flight travel and everything. There's just
only so much that we can do. And in regards
to Brian, you know, Brian worked his absolute tail off
to get back and uh, you know with his right
m c l uh and and just came out of
(11:54):
the game with some with you know, some some leftny
kind of swelling, maybe over compensating, but just couldn't quite
get that out of there. And and both those guys,
I know, you know, and because they've they've proven it before.
Both those guys would do anything to be out there
with their teammates. And you know, I am the furthest
thing from a doctor.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
I know.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Uh, it's been debated my medical prowess when it comes
to our injured players playing or not. I very simply
listen to our doctors and listen more importantly to our
players as much as I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Would say amount of them that he didn't have.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
That's one of the reasons why, you know, it's when
when a guy like that, a veteran guy that's in
there competing you, you have to value you have to
value that as long as the medical team, you know,
informs me, which they did a couple of times that
you know, he's no, he's no worse than than what
he came into the game with. You've got to give
(12:53):
a guy that that wants to tow the line and go,
and then you've got to give him a chance to
do that until it becomes, uh, he can't do his job.
And I did think that last high throw when Justin
was open on the high cross, you know, maybe a
healthy Carson Wentz hits that throw. But that's just kind
of how the night was. You know, we had an
opportunity for a big time explosive there and we miss it.
And there could be a lot of variables factors involved.
(13:15):
I thought it was, you know, one of our cleaner
pockets on that play. And though it you know, it
just wasn't our night in any capacity any way, shape
or form. From the interception being overturned early on to
potentially having one of your biggest plays of the night
turn into them having the ball at midfield, it was,
you know, it was. It was an avalanche of momentum
(13:36):
for them that we tried to overcome. I like the
fight to start the second half from the turnover. Mattelli's
forces on the pick to putting that ball in the
end zone.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
There.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
We just you know, in no way, shape or form,
were good enough tonight to win the football game.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
As coaches or players, you're well, what are.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
You gonna do at this point for a still goal
with this skecu.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Obviously, Yeah, I think I told our team there are
no more trips overseas, there's no more short weeks. There's
outside of late in the year, obviously for our second
Thursday game. But I told our team this is you know,
we're going to find out what we're all about and
what this year's team is all about. I've always felt
a like a level of compete from our organization, a
(14:21):
level of chasing growth throughout the season, regardless of result.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
You know, you're you're.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
Hoping when you're winning thirteen and fourteen games, you're still
always chasing getting better.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
But clearly, if you need a result to motivate you.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
That's that's not the that's not the type of organization
we want to be. But certainly these circumstances will will
be uh, we'll test what we're all made of. And
I told our team, you know, when when we get
a chance to step out on that grass.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Make sure, you're very aware that we're.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
Going back to work and what this is going to
look like is going to be a team that constantly
chases improvement, and we need to after tonight.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
But I also so told.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
Them, you know, uh, you know, take honor and being
a man in the arena.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
And what that means.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
And I'll be you know, I told them first and foremost,
I'm gonna look myself dead in the eye in the
mirror and make sure that and I think they believe
me when they say that my confidence level in this
group is as high as it's ever been. But it's
also important that we look ourselves in the eye after
a performance like this and decide the path we're gonna
take in the fox hole. Together, we will work, I
(15:28):
don't know any other way than to uh, you know,
set a path and a course for this organization to
find success. And I'm gonna lean on our coaches, and
I'm gonna lean most importantly on the locker room, the
players and what they've built in there to go attack
this thing.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
A lot of explosive players that you guys have been
giving up in new pass and games.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
They're a trend. There is something you can identify that's
caused that.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
Yeah, you know, just talking to Flow late in the
game and talking to our often, I think across the board,
we just need to evaluate what gives us the best
chance to sustain because it you know, it just felt
like it wasn't our best performance or even an adequate performance.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
In any phase.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
So I don't necessarily want to get into, you know,
the details of individual sides of the ball, but I
will tell you, Matt that it's you know, we've got
to improve and we've got to understand that what we're
going to do moving forward is going to be the
things hopefully we do well, and the techniques and fundamentals
need to be trained and coached to match that, and
(16:30):
you know, get back to simple, basic things that lead
to our our talented players having a chance to go
out there and win the down, win the drive, when
the series, when the quarter, and compete for four quarters.
I didn't question our team's competition or compete at all.
It just felt like, you know, we weren't good enough
(16:51):
in any of our three phases.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Tonight, technique in.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Fun about being to shoot. What kind of things can
do to you know it's out for weeks.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Yeah, Well, hopefully.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
You know.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
The good thing is next week won't be a short week.
We'll get a chance to get out there on Monday,
We'll get a chance to have three full days of
practice after that. You know, I thought our guys, you know,
two years in a row, these Thursday games, we've had
very physical, kind of down to the end type of
you know games at home the week before against good teams,
and then we just you know of you know, I
(17:26):
don't believe we ran out of gas tonight. I don't
believe we did enough things well enough to fight the
fight and and and match our willingness to compete with
the you know, playing against a really good football team
at home and not doing a lot of things that
give you a chance to find and seek out the
(17:48):
momentum and see if you can capture.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
It and keep it.
Speaker 5 (17:50):
It's a real thing, and we we let it get
away from us early tonight, and we weren't able to
get it back.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Obviously, the coach is saddened by the way things have
worked out. The Vikings are now three or four and
uh with this game, Aaron Jones returned, so you had
the Jones Jordan Mason won two, but they got behind
so far, so soon, I mean running Mason and and
or Jones, it just wasn't gonna.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Happen, right.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
And then that's where Josh Oliver comes into play. Right,
So that whatever running game that you had, you had
set up Aaron Jones, Buch you know, good at the
outside runs and those kinds of things. None none of
it ever developed. I mean, I don't know if anything
offensively really got into a groove, right. We never really
got into any type of a rhythm offensively, and that's
(18:37):
a factor of a number of things. Uh, But yeah,
what you hope would have been a shot in the
arm in the running game ended up not being one
at all. In fact, the running game was probably it's
probably the worst out you know, outing for the Vikings
on the on the ground all season.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Carson Wentz is two and three as a Viking starter.
He was making his ninety ninth National Football Leak start.
He was sacked five times, clearly was in pain with
his left shoulder and his left arm. And here's what
Carson I just say after the game.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
I felt better.
Speaker 6 (19:11):
That was a tough one. Thursday Nights are I was tough,
but that was a little extra tough. But Yeah, I
felt better, but we're walking.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
We're a right person as you're going.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Through that, as they're pointing at all, and you felt
like any coming off as the injury you got out of.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
No, I didn't. Pain is pain, you know.
Speaker 6 (19:31):
I felt like I could still help this team and
find a way to go down and score and all
that stuff.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
So we knew that coming into the game that was
gonna be part of it.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
And again that's what that's a tough part of Thursday
night games. Just don't quite get the chance to recover.
But that's no excuse by any means. Like I felt
when I'm playing out there, I felt fun.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
We're in your face pretty much till my difficult is
it to quarterback?
Speaker 3 (19:58):
You remember that much the least and that much, right, Yeah,
hats off of that defense.
Speaker 6 (20:02):
Honestly, on a short week, I thought they did a
really good job. Made it tough on us scheme wise.
You know, they got they got some really good players.
You know, we were banged up, and you know we
had moving pieces even within the game up front, and
so I.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Thought guys competed their tails off. I could.
Speaker 6 (20:16):
You know, I can always be better, get the ball
out quicker and make some plays and decisions faster.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
But yeah, the defense made a tough tonight because the
one that they just feel at times.
Speaker 6 (20:31):
Definitely at times, you know, it's a good defense. You know,
that's all that's all start there. I'll say that's a
very good defense. They made it tough on us. You know,
they kind of made us one dimensional there, which makes
it even tougher.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
So you know that's on a short week.
Speaker 6 (20:44):
They played better than us tonight and I can be
better too to help that out. Where is the end
that you that for one of the fourth down plays
kind of came to sideline and help flying and like
the camera stayed on you on the bench.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
I guess that like it looked like you second extreme
pain basically what's happening? Yeah, yeah, I'm not proud of that.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
Apologize to the equipment guys for that one, but yeah
I was. I was in a good amount of pain there.
Did you feel like the the ingree or the mechanics
and any throw.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
I don't think so.
Speaker 6 (21:17):
I don't think throwing wise. That's honestly why I felt
confident to go. I felt I could do my job.
I thought I could throw the ball. Thankfully, you don't
need your left shoulder all that much still the football,
so mechanically, throwing wise, I felt like I could do everything.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I needed to.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
Frustration as natural frustration in there too, But yeah, it was.
It was a tough second half physically, for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
You're understanding this is just gonna.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Be a maintenance situation in the rest of the.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Year with that deal or I don't know yet. I
don't know. It's a week by week, day by day
thing right now.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
And yeah, we'll see you agreed for the.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Play until early in the season.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Obviously, we're three and four. We know we're at we
got an impressive division. You know, we're kind of in
a fox hole, so to speak with with with that.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
But.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
You can't look at that. We got the visional opponents
coming up here and that will be you know, there
will be some huge.
Speaker 6 (22:16):
Games to kind of get us back on track and
within our division and all that stuff. So yeah, obviously
not where we want to be, No one ever wants
to be and four. But at the end of the
there's a lot of football left and I think a
lot of good football left for this team. Anymore.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
You're in pain, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
I'm just trying to do everything I can to help
this team, you know, and I feel confident even with
the pain, that I can help, you know, I can
contribute and make plays and spread this ball around. And
you know, I thought we did it okay at times,
left left plenty of things out there.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
The interception, you know, I thought, I thought.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
Maybe we had a little chance to kind of put
something together and go down there, and I just missed it,
you know, And I gotta be better there. But yeah,
at the end of the day, I feel like I'm
physically able to go. Whether it hurts or not. You know,
it is what it is. Yeah, Yeah, there's there's layers
(23:18):
to it. I'm not going to get into all the specifics,
but I've never worn anything even remotely close to all that.
But at the end of the day, it was helpful
to at least, you know, get me through it.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
And you practice with that.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
I did walk through with.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
It yesterday actually, which was weird. I was the only
guy out there in pads, but just to feel it
and get used to it, and yeah, no excuses there,
honestly it was. It's weird, But again I walked out
there feeling confident. I could throw the ball and do
my job. The most extended pain, the most extended pain
you bend during the course of the.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Beginning, quite possibly, quite possibly recognition thought only what is
than nonins Yeah, I mean, I just know the guys
in that locker room. I know the guys and know
the coaches.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
I know, I've still only been here for a short
period of time, but I know the resolve, the resiliency
and the character of the guys in there that I
think that gives me confidence. I know coach being the
leader in this in this building is as positive as
it gets, and I know he'll do everything he can
and his power to get us right. And so I
have a lot of confidence in the guys. You know,
(24:29):
hopefully we can keep getting some guys back healthy, all
that stuff. But you know, this was a short week.
This was a tough one. We just didn't have it tonight.
No in the NFL is weird. It's hard to win,
hard to be consistent. So at the end of the day,
just turn the page and go attack it next week.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Dude, what what a mission did Aaron John's brain coming back?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Confidence?
Speaker 6 (24:47):
Yeah, I mean I was excited for Aaron to come
back obviously he was I don't actually know how it
all unfolded, but limited in some capacity in terms of
a pitch count, whatever it was. But just the dimension
that he brings to the table, whether fully shown tonight
or not, I think defenses are very aware when he's
in the game and his ability to just slash and
you know, take two yards into twenty real quick, and
(25:09):
would love to, you know, maybe connect a few more
times in the passing game. That was one thing I wish.
I wish we could have hit on the one down
there in the red zone. But yeah, he's he's dynamic.
I wish we could have done it better. Which first
played a game. I wish I could have hit him
a little better. I was just not on the same
page there with just some small things. But yeah, I
know he's a very talented player, and I was pretty
(25:30):
fired up to play with him tonight, and I'm hopefully
made it out okay that he can continue to help
this team.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
All right, three and four some extra days with Thursday
Night Football going into the Lions game a week from Sunday,
and you know, this team just came off the bye.
They lose a game against the champion Eagles, which was
closer than this one. Then they lose this one, so
it's their first two game losing streak this year. Be
nice to get away from it for a minute, clear
your mind, get some bodies healthy, come back, make a
(26:02):
run with those Lions.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Yeah, and that's the other thing. You're playing on the
road right away, one more road game. Then you got
a couple at home right with the Ravens and then
the Bears, and then I think you're on the road
to play Green Bay. So it's it's it's gonna get
harder before it gets easier. And that's the reality. That's
the NFL. And yet you know you have a little
you have a few extra days here, but they need
(26:24):
to find some answers quickly.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
The Chargers beat the Vikings thirty seven to ten at
SOFI in Southern California. For pete ersage, I'm Paul Allen.
Don't forget to follow all the coverage of this game
and up to the Lions game at your favorite spot
Vikings dot com. This is provided by Loomen. Thank you
for listening.
Hey, it's the Vikings postgame report courtesy of Lumen from
unbelievably Loud Sofi Stadium with Pete versus. I'm Paul Allen
when I say unbelievably loud, with all due respect, and
I'm not talking about the crowd with Chargers fans or anything.
I just don't understand the difference between the Rams and
the Chargers here at Sofi where it's just so loud
(00:39):
with the hype machine and everything. But you know what,
they had reason to be excited with their Chargers, who
scored thirty seven points on the Minnesota Vikings. That's the
most points the Vikings have given up since Brian Flores
became defensive coordinator. They lose by twenty seven. Pete bursus
your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Well, there's just there's not a lot you could take
away from this, and there's not a lot that you
can point to to say that, hey, if we did
a play here or play there. I mean, when you
look at what happened with the Eagles, you just point
to a play here or play there, a game that
could have easily been won. But on a game like tonight,
when the Chargers have nine possessions, they score on seven
(01:19):
of them.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Wow, and the only one.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
The only possessions they didn't score on were a missfield
goal and an interception. So yeah, it's it's hard.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
It's hard.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
It's hard to find the positive right now. But these
guys have to have to bring this scene together. It's
not gonna get it easier. You gotta get ready, you
gotta go go to Detroit.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
The La Chargers ran for two hundred seven yards. Kamani
Vidal second year from Troy. The only reason he's playing
is because veteran Najee Harris got knocked out for the
season earlier this year and Amari and Hampton, a rookie
running back they love who had two touchdowns. He also
went to ir so Kamani Vadal twenty three run, one
(02:00):
hundred and seventeen yards, first touchdown of his career. Uh,
what you know. With the injuries the Vikings have suffered
this season, specifically to the offensive line, Andrew van Ginkel
didn't play again, but still on the interior, Cashman has
come back, Pace played, Wilson played Allen and so on.
And I bring that up because a lot of these
(02:22):
runs were between the tackles.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah they were, and I think for the running game.
You know, early on Herbert ran for about sixty two
yards or so, and that was obviously bootlegs pulling the
ball down and that wore up, that wore out the front,
and you're right, that's kind of the one area of
this team, the defensive interior where yeah, I mean, Cashman
(02:45):
was out for a few weeks, but we're pretty healthy
there now. And you know, for the the Chargers, they
dominated the line of scrimmage, Paul, I mean, well, I mean,
what else can you say now? And you had to
take a hard look at some things and figure out
outside of Jalen Redman, and it's, uh, it's kind of
hard to find anybody.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Jonathan Allen getting his first sack tonight, so that's obviously
a good thing. But for the most part, the defensive
front just didn't control the line of scrimmage. But but
it was an eventual thing. It was just the length
of time that they were on the field. I'll possessed
almost two to one and and short week and all
those things that uh, and that you got to you
(03:24):
got to get a tip of the cap to the Chargers.
They they came out and dominated this football game.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
And uh, moving forward with the Vikings next game a
week from Sunday at fort Field against the Lions. Uh
the the the sweat, well, there are myriad sweats when
it comes to like Hals McCarthy's ankle doing uh dari
saw is is he? How is he healing? Played about
a quarter then he had to leave. Will O'Neill be
back probably, but Josh Oliver, Josh Oliver left this game
(03:50):
on a cart. So now we're sweating that.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
We are and he's such a huge part of the
running game of what we're trying to do. So you know,
the young guys, they they they have to pick it up.
You've got you've got to find somebody else to step up.
I think Hockinson's been doing a great job. You know,
he's he's really stepped up and done a lot of blocking.
We've had these tight ends involved in pass protection so much,
(04:13):
you know, over the last couple of weeks just because
of injuries. And then you have someone like Ben Eurosex.
So you're a SEC. Now this is his opportunity, right
he underrafted rookie free agent, had a really good preseason.
Now he's gonna have to step up and become a
dual threat in for this offense.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, had this
to say following the thirty seven to ten LA Chargers win.
Speaker 5 (04:41):
Get to the injury update here in a second, but nothing,
nothing much to say. We got out played, we got
out coached. We we did not There are no excuses. Injuries,
short week, whatever it is that is not in any way,
shape or form our standard of what we want to
on the field. And we've got, as I told our team,
(05:02):
we've got an opportunity in front.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
Of us where we need to own this.
Speaker 5 (05:09):
This is not a bury the tape kind of time
for our organization. This is a watch it, view it
own it. Every coach, every player, and it starts with me.
I did not have our team prepared to play, and
we'll go back to many.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Aspects of.
Speaker 5 (05:30):
What we need to improve on from a standpoint, in
many way, shape or form on initial feel, it feels
like a lot of technique, fundamentals, things that are correctable.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
I believe in our players wholeheartedly.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
I believe in every opportunity we have, We're going to
go out there and put our best foot forward, both
on the practice field and every opportunity we have as
a team. I think we'll be able to get you know,
healthy in some spots here that that you know are
critical for our ability to have success. But once again,
injuries and any other excuse, if you go looking for him,
(06:04):
you'll find him.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
We will not be doing that.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
We're going to meet this head on as an organization
and that's what we're gonna do. Injury wise, Christian Darsal
tried to give it a go. I want to commend
him for trying to do that on a short week,
coming off of what's been a trying time for him
early on in the season, after such a catastrophic significant
injury a year ago. Just couldn't just couldn't, you know,
(06:28):
continue to.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Give it a go.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
Josh Oliver X rays were negative on his right foot,
but we will need to MRI that foot ankle and
see what's going on there.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
He's pretty sore.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
Jeff Acuda did get a concussion, and Jonathan Gernard got
a right ankle.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
He'll also be evaluated tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Kevin Blake said there was.
Speaker 5 (06:52):
Yet no I think I think we've got to you know,
there was there were some times where yeah, we were
we were down on the edges, you know, at the
tackle spot.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
But it felt like it was more than that.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
To me, It felt like there was some sloppiness, like
Blake said in the interior, getting guys covered up, uh,
seeing if we could simply you know, execute our quick
game at times was was you know, more difficult than
it should be, you know, in some of those ball
out plays, trying to you know, avoid you know, uh,
(07:28):
you know, certain I would have liked to get more
runs off, but it's a circumstance where you're also trying
to make sure you're not walking yourself right into third.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
And and very very long with.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
The need to try to get eligibles out and and
also protect on both edges.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
So it is a it's a little bit of a
you know, trying to figure out the best way to
activate the healthy players we do have, you know, in
our receiving corps and you know t J in the
passing game. But I got to do a better job,
you know, minig eating the challenges that we face in
a game like we did tonight, and it wasn't good enough.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Carson looked like he was in pain.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
He's physically a good part of the game.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Yeah, we kept on, you know, we kept on, you know,
checking in maybe getting Max ready to go. But he
you know, I you know, Tyler was coming to me
a lot tonight, but every time he seemed to update
me on that.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
You know, Carson was uh, you know, he was sore
going into it, and he was able.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
He took obviously quite a few hits and and uh,
but he was able to you know, I asked him
multiple times, you know, where he was at, and he
he he said he was good and wanted to keep going.
I know, it did seem like he was, you know,
in pain there a couple of times, a few times.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I think, holding Maxwell and the injuries of this kind
of basics.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah, we did.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
I think, you know what you have to you know,
Carson's a veteran player. He understands kind of some of
our circumstances tonight. I think it's very difficult to ask,
you know, a rookie to go in there for his
first performance and you know, have to be kind of
weathering it, you know a little bit for the group.
(09:12):
I did, you know, I did think about that at
different times in the game. But at the same time,
you know, the confidence we have in Max and the
upside we see in Max is real. We just you know,
you also don't want to send him out there and
force a level of kind of figured out this that's
probably beyond a guy playing for the first time, and
that was kind of where the decision was to continue
(09:35):
to go with Carson as long as you know, Carson
felt like he was healthy enough to keep playing, and
the medical team did as well.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
How will you approach that position here in the next
week or.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
So, Yeah, I think, you know, as we talked about
earlier in the week, we you know, we worked out
JJ and he was close and JJ and the medical
staff kind of didn't quite feel like he was he
was there yet, but there was a lot of encouragement that,
especially at the time we have Kevin and where he's
at and the confidence level he thinks he can get to.
(10:06):
You know, if JJ is healthy, JJ w'll play. That's
been the case since the injury. That's always been kind
of my mindset, and I.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Believe we're right.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
You know, we're right, you know, hopefully around the corner
from seeing him be healthy, have a week of preparation
and go compete, because that's really you know, that's what
he wants and that's what he's been working towards. You know,
I know there was a lot of estimates on what
the injury timeline and everything with a high ankle.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
It ended up being you know, on on the longer end,
but about what we thought.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
And we'll see, we'll see how Carson comes out tonight
as far as what our overall quarterback depth looks like.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
But we will prepare.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
We'll prepare our team, you know, at every position based
upon what our health looks like. But we also need
to be ready to go to work on the practice
field and improve because that is not, like I said,
to our standard in any capacity.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Christians something different with the news servers yesterday.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Now, I think what you're you know, it's you know,
whether it was in London or in Dublin going to
London and in the high snap count, or it's just
the fact that you know, we we have Christian on
a pro a plan of attack every week based upon
the idea of the type of injury he's coming back from.
And I'm not going to go into detail with what
that injury.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Was, but I would just say there there's a layer two.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Christian doing everything he can, but you know, when he
has a higher snap count, or you're on a very
very short week with flight travel and everything. There's just
only so much that we can do. And in regards
to Brian, you know, Brian worked his absolute tail off
to get back and uh, you know with his right
m c l uh and and just came out of
(11:54):
the game with some with you know, some some leftny
kind of swelling, maybe over compensating, but just couldn't quite
get that out of there. And and both those guys,
I know, you know, and because they've they've proven it before.
Both those guys would do anything to be out there
with their teammates. And you know, I am the furthest
thing from a doctor.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
I know.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Uh, it's been debated my medical prowess when it comes
to our injured players playing or not. I very simply
listen to our doctors and listen more importantly to our
players as much as I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Would say amount of them that he didn't have.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
That's one of the reasons why, you know, it's when
when a guy like that, a veteran guy that's in
there competing you, you have to value you have to
value that as long as the medical team, you know,
informs me, which they did a couple of times that
you know, he's no, he's no worse than than what
he came into the game with. You've got to give
(12:53):
a guy that that wants to tow the line and go,
and then you've got to give him a chance to
do that until it becomes, uh, he can't do his job.
And I did think that last high throw when Justin
was open on the high cross, you know, maybe a
healthy Carson Wentz hits that throw. But that's just kind
of how the night was. You know, we had an
opportunity for a big time explosive there and we miss it.
And there could be a lot of variables factors involved.
(13:15):
I thought it was, you know, one of our cleaner
pockets on that play. And though it you know, it
just wasn't our night in any capacity any way, shape
or form. From the interception being overturned early on to
potentially having one of your biggest plays of the night
turn into them having the ball at midfield, it was,
you know, it was. It was an avalanche of momentum
(13:36):
for them that we tried to overcome. I like the
fight to start the second half from the turnover. Mattelli's
forces on the pick to putting that ball in the
end zone.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
There.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
We just you know, in no way, shape or form,
were good enough tonight to win the football game.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
As coaches or players, you're well, what are.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
You gonna do at this point for a still goal
with this skecu.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Obviously, Yeah, I think I told our team there are
no more trips overseas, there's no more short weeks. There's
outside of late in the year, obviously for our second
Thursday game. But I told our team this is you know,
we're going to find out what we're all about and
what this year's team is all about. I've always felt
a like a level of compete from our organization, a
(14:21):
level of chasing growth throughout the season, regardless of result.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
You know, you're you're.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
Hoping when you're winning thirteen and fourteen games, you're still
always chasing getting better.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
But clearly, if you need a result to motivate you.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
That's that's not the that's not the type of organization
we want to be. But certainly these circumstances will will
be uh, we'll test what we're all made of. And
I told our team, you know, when when we get
a chance to step out on that grass.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Make sure, you're very aware that we're.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
Going back to work and what this is going to
look like is going to be a team that constantly
chases improvement, and we need to after tonight.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
But I also so told.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
Them, you know, uh, you know, take honor and being
a man in the arena.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
And what that means.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
And I'll be you know, I told them first and foremost,
I'm gonna look myself dead in the eye in the
mirror and make sure that and I think they believe
me when they say that my confidence level in this
group is as high as it's ever been. But it's
also important that we look ourselves in the eye after
a performance like this and decide the path we're gonna
take in the fox hole. Together, we will work, I
(15:28):
don't know any other way than to uh, you know,
set a path and a course for this organization to
find success. And I'm gonna lean on our coaches, and
I'm gonna lean most importantly on the locker room, the
players and what they've built in there to go attack
this thing.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
A lot of explosive players that you guys have been
giving up in new pass and games.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
They're a trend. There is something you can identify that's
caused that.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
Yeah, you know, just talking to Flow late in the
game and talking to our often, I think across the board,
we just need to evaluate what gives us the best
chance to sustain because it you know, it just felt
like it wasn't our best performance or even an adequate performance.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
In any phase.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
So I don't necessarily want to get into, you know,
the details of individual sides of the ball, but I
will tell you, Matt that it's you know, we've got
to improve and we've got to understand that what we're
going to do moving forward is going to be the
things hopefully we do well, and the techniques and fundamentals
need to be trained and coached to match that, and
(16:30):
you know, get back to simple, basic things that lead
to our our talented players having a chance to go
out there and win the down, win the drive, when
the series, when the quarter, and compete for four quarters.
I didn't question our team's competition or compete at all.
It just felt like, you know, we weren't good enough
(16:51):
in any of our three phases.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Tonight, technique in.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Fun about being to shoot. What kind of things can
do to you know it's out for weeks.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Yeah, Well, hopefully.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
You know.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
The good thing is next week won't be a short week.
We'll get a chance to get out there on Monday,
We'll get a chance to have three full days of
practice after that. You know, I thought our guys, you know,
two years in a row, these Thursday games, we've had
very physical, kind of down to the end type of
you know games at home the week before against good teams,
and then we just you know of you know, I
(17:26):
don't believe we ran out of gas tonight. I don't
believe we did enough things well enough to fight the
fight and and and match our willingness to compete with
the you know, playing against a really good football team
at home and not doing a lot of things that
give you a chance to find and seek out the
(17:48):
momentum and see if you can capture.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
It and keep it.
Speaker 5 (17:50):
It's a real thing, and we we let it get
away from us early tonight, and we weren't able to
get it back.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Obviously, the coach is saddened by the way things have
worked out. The Vikings are now three or four and
uh with this game, Aaron Jones returned, so you had
the Jones Jordan Mason won two, but they got behind
so far, so soon, I mean running Mason and and
or Jones, it just wasn't gonna.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Happen, right.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
And then that's where Josh Oliver comes into play. Right,
So that whatever running game that you had, you had
set up Aaron Jones, Buch you know, good at the
outside runs and those kinds of things. None none of
it ever developed. I mean, I don't know if anything
offensively really got into a groove, right. We never really
got into any type of a rhythm offensively, and that's
(18:37):
a factor of a number of things. Uh, But yeah,
what you hope would have been a shot in the
arm in the running game ended up not being one
at all. In fact, the running game was probably it's
probably the worst out you know, outing for the Vikings
on the on the ground all season.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Carson Wentz is two and three as a Viking starter.
He was making his ninety ninth National Football Leak start.
He was sacked five times, clearly was in pain with
his left shoulder and his left arm. And here's what
Carson I just say after the game.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
I felt better.
Speaker 6 (19:11):
That was a tough one. Thursday Nights are I was tough,
but that was a little extra tough. But Yeah, I
felt better, but we're walking.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
We're a right person as you're going.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Through that, as they're pointing at all, and you felt
like any coming off as the injury you got out of.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
No, I didn't. Pain is pain, you know.
Speaker 6 (19:31):
I felt like I could still help this team and
find a way to go down and score and all
that stuff.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
So we knew that coming into the game that was
gonna be part of it.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
And again that's what that's a tough part of Thursday
night games. Just don't quite get the chance to recover.
But that's no excuse by any means. Like I felt
when I'm playing out there, I felt fun.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
We're in your face pretty much till my difficult is
it to quarterback?
Speaker 3 (19:58):
You remember that much the least and that much, right, Yeah,
hats off of that defense.
Speaker 6 (20:02):
Honestly, on a short week, I thought they did a
really good job. Made it tough on us scheme wise.
You know, they got they got some really good players.
You know, we were banged up, and you know we
had moving pieces even within the game up front, and
so I.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Thought guys competed their tails off. I could.
Speaker 6 (20:16):
You know, I can always be better, get the ball
out quicker and make some plays and decisions faster.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
But yeah, the defense made a tough tonight because the
one that they just feel at times.
Speaker 6 (20:31):
Definitely at times, you know, it's a good defense. You know,
that's all that's all start there. I'll say that's a
very good defense. They made it tough on us. You know,
they kind of made us one dimensional there, which makes
it even tougher.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
So you know that's on a short week.
Speaker 6 (20:44):
They played better than us tonight and I can be
better too to help that out. Where is the end
that you that for one of the fourth down plays
kind of came to sideline and help flying and like
the camera stayed on you on the bench.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
I guess that like it looked like you second extreme
pain basically what's happening? Yeah, yeah, I'm not proud of that.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
Apologize to the equipment guys for that one, but yeah
I was. I was in a good amount of pain there.
Did you feel like the the ingree or the mechanics
and any throw.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
I don't think so.
Speaker 6 (21:17):
I don't think throwing wise. That's honestly why I felt
confident to go. I felt I could do my job.
I thought I could throw the ball. Thankfully, you don't
need your left shoulder all that much still the football,
so mechanically, throwing wise, I felt like I could do everything.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I needed to.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
Frustration as natural frustration in there too, But yeah, it was.
It was a tough second half physically, for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
You're understanding this is just gonna.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Be a maintenance situation in the rest of the.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Year with that deal or I don't know yet. I
don't know. It's a week by week, day by day
thing right now.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
And yeah, we'll see you agreed for the.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Play until early in the season.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Obviously, we're three and four. We know we're at we
got an impressive division. You know, we're kind of in
a fox hole, so to speak with with with that.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
But.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
You can't look at that. We got the visional opponents
coming up here and that will be you know, there
will be some huge.
Speaker 6 (22:16):
Games to kind of get us back on track and
within our division and all that stuff. So yeah, obviously
not where we want to be, No one ever wants
to be and four. But at the end of the
there's a lot of football left and I think a
lot of good football left for this team. Anymore.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
You're in pain, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
I'm just trying to do everything I can to help
this team, you know, and I feel confident even with
the pain, that I can help, you know, I can
contribute and make plays and spread this ball around. And
you know, I thought we did it okay at times,
left left plenty of things out there.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
The interception, you know, I thought, I thought.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
Maybe we had a little chance to kind of put
something together and go down there, and I just missed it,
you know, And I gotta be better there. But yeah,
at the end of the day, I feel like I'm
physically able to go. Whether it hurts or not. You know,
it is what it is. Yeah, Yeah, there's there's layers
(23:18):
to it. I'm not going to get into all the specifics,
but I've never worn anything even remotely close to all that.
But at the end of the day, it was helpful
to at least, you know, get me through it.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
And you practice with that.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
I did walk through with.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
It yesterday actually, which was weird. I was the only
guy out there in pads, but just to feel it
and get used to it, and yeah, no excuses there,
honestly it was. It's weird, But again I walked out
there feeling confident. I could throw the ball and do
my job. The most extended pain, the most extended pain
you bend during the course of the.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Beginning, quite possibly, quite possibly recognition thought only what is
than nonins Yeah, I mean, I just know the guys
in that locker room. I know the guys and know
the coaches.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
I know, I've still only been here for a short
period of time, but I know the resolve, the resiliency
and the character of the guys in there that I
think that gives me confidence. I know coach being the
leader in this in this building is as positive as
it gets, and I know he'll do everything he can
and his power to get us right. And so I
have a lot of confidence in the guys. You know,
(24:29):
hopefully we can keep getting some guys back healthy, all
that stuff. But you know, this was a short week.
This was a tough one. We just didn't have it tonight.
No in the NFL is weird. It's hard to win,
hard to be consistent. So at the end of the day,
just turn the page and go attack it next week.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Dude, what what a mission did Aaron John's brain coming back?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Confidence?
Speaker 6 (24:47):
Yeah, I mean I was excited for Aaron to come
back obviously he was I don't actually know how it
all unfolded, but limited in some capacity in terms of
a pitch count, whatever it was. But just the dimension
that he brings to the table, whether fully shown tonight
or not, I think defenses are very aware when he's
in the game and his ability to just slash and
you know, take two yards into twenty real quick, and
(25:09):
would love to, you know, maybe connect a few more
times in the passing game. That was one thing I wish.
I wish we could have hit on the one down
there in the red zone. But yeah, he's he's dynamic.
I wish we could have done it better. Which first
played a game. I wish I could have hit him
a little better. I was just not on the same
page there with just some small things. But yeah, I
know he's a very talented player, and I was pretty
(25:30):
fired up to play with him tonight, and I'm hopefully
made it out okay that he can continue to help
this team.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
All right, three and four some extra days with Thursday
Night Football going into the Lions game a week from Sunday,
and you know, this team just came off the bye.
They lose a game against the champion Eagles, which was
closer than this one. Then they lose this one, so
it's their first two game losing streak this year. Be
nice to get away from it for a minute, clear
your mind, get some bodies healthy, come back, make a
(26:02):
run with those Lions.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Yeah, and that's the other thing. You're playing on the
road right away, one more road game. Then you got
a couple at home right with the Ravens and then
the Bears, and then I think you're on the road
to play Green Bay. So it's it's it's gonna get
harder before it gets easier. And that's the reality. That's
the NFL. And yet you know you have a little
you have a few extra days here, but they need
(26:24):
to find some answers quickly.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
The Chargers beat the Vikings thirty seven to ten at
SOFI in Southern California. For pete ersage, I'm Paul Allen.
Don't forget to follow all the coverage of this game
and up to the Lions game at your favorite spot
Vikings dot com. This is provided by Loomen. Thank you
for listening.
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