This ‘won’t define us’

For five weeks, Kevin O’Connell’s press conferences after the Vikings’ victories were all smiles, even as he warned that the team still had things to improve. Late Thursday night, he stood before reporters and cameras for the second time in five days after a defeat, lamenting self-inflicted wounds and preaching that he needs to get better, while also using the platform to express how much faith he still has. in his group.

“We have to find a way to play better as a team across the board,” O’Connell said after the Vikings game. 30-20 loss to the Rams at SoFi Stadium. “I’m not going to make excuses about the short week, about penalties or anything like that. We’re going to get back to work. We’re a 5-2 football team with a lot of football in front of us. We have to work. We have to improve, we have to get back to do some things that helped us get to this point of 5-2 before the last two games And we’ll do that in my coaching staff and a lot of confidence that we have the right guys in the locker room, both talent and the composition of our football team.”

Not much went right for the Vikings in their first primetime game of the season. The offense ran down the field for touchdowns on the first two possessions of the game, but dried up after the first quarter with just six points. The run game was inefficient, the Vikings settled for two short field goals in the red zone, and Sam Darnold was sacked three times in key spots (although the latter clearly shouldn’t have counted).

Less than a week after O’Connell complained about the Vikings’ “self-inflicted fouls,” they had two false starts, two illegal formation penalties that were called aside and a critical drop by Jalen Nailor in the red zone.

“Field goals aren’t enough, especially in a game like this versus an offense like that,” he said. “We have to continue to find ways to consistently get all 11 guys on offense doing their job. That’s outside the hurdle, that’s how we word the plays, that’s how we break the huddle with total control of the system.

“We don’t want in a game like this that the things we’re doing are going to keep us from getting the momentum, just with our execution, because when the execution happens from whistle to whistle, we’re pretty good. We just have to get one more do a little bit more, make a few more clean play calls, make a clean execution, line up, know what we need to do and go do it.”

5 things that stood out in the Vikings’ loss to the Rams on Thursday Night Football

A knee injury to lefty Christian Darrisaw is also a major concern. He will undergo an MRI on Friday, and O’Connell said the Vikings are “keeping our fingers crossed that we get some positive news.”

The bigger problem in this loss was the Vikings defense, which was once again on fire for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards. The Rams followed the Lions’ blueprint of running the ball effectively and finding open receivers in the intermediate windows above the middle of the field.

Brian Flores’ defense, which had been so dominant in the team’s 5-0 start, offered minimal resistance. The pass rush was non-existent and the cornerback play was shaky, which is a dangerous combination. The defensive tackles had no impact. The absence of No. 1 linebacker Blake Cashman continues to be felt, while Ivan Pace Jr. looked outmatched in an all-down role against the Rams’ offense. Six of the Vikings’ nine penalties accepted were on defense, including three that negated defensive stops on third downs.

That side of the ball needs to do some research on the Vikings’ mini-bye.

“When you’re playing against that quarterback, with those receivers getting healthy and going out there and making some plays for him, I think the bottom line is that we can get enough rush and coverage by working together to maybe not get a quarterback like that chance to give a few extra clicks,” said O’Connell. “We have to act harder and try to get off the field.”

The Vikings have been punched in the mouth a few times during this rough patch, falling from 5-0 to 5-2 in five days. It was a bit of a rude awakening for a team that was cruising before the bye week. But O’Connell’s closing message was that a few tough results won’t define this team, which has 10 regular-season games remaining. He still thinks it is a special group.

“We’ve had a lot of success as a football team this year and it’s been a tough four days for us,” O’Connell said. “That’s not going to define us. It’s not going to be the story of this season because we have the pen in our hands. And what are we going to do with it? Are we going to work? Am I going to be the same consistent guy that even puts pressure on this team? ” more, demand the discipline to make our difference in the future? I know I have the right team there. I have been incredibly lucky with the group I have. Tonight didn’t go the way we wanted if you take into account (Sunday’s) tough loss and then come back straight away, your season looks a little bit different.

“The stories and all that stuff mean absolutely nothing because they never did that,” he said. “It’s about work. It’s about this team coming together, this coaching staff and players are the tightest group I’ve ever had. I love our team. I love everything about being the head coach of this team can be.” I have to make sure I push us to reach our true potential as a team this year because I believe that is something special. And I believe that now more than ever.”