Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Doesn’t Hold Back After Blowout Loss to Chargers
It was a rough night for the Minnesota Vikings on October 23, as they were routed 37–10 by the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football at SoFi Stadium.
There were few, if any, positives for Minnesota to take away from the loss. Once sitting at 3–2, the Vikings have now dropped two straight to fall below .500 at 3–4. They’ll need to quickly regroup and address what went wrong before the skid deepens further.
After the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke candidly about his team’s performance, acknowledging that the Chargers simply outclassed the Vikings in every facet of the game.
“We got outplayed,” O’Connell admitted, via Pro Football Talk. “We got outcoached. There are no excuses—injuries, short week, whatever it may be. That’s not our standard, and as I told our team, we have to take responsibility for this.
This isn’t a ‘bury the tape’ moment. This is a ‘watch it, learn from it, and own it’ moment—for every coach and every player. It starts with me. I didn’t have our team ready to play.”
Vikings Aim to Regroup Before Facing Lions
Minnesota now has a few extra days to prepare for a Week 9 matchup with the Detroit Lions. While the task won’t be easy against their NFC North rivals, O’Connell remains confident in his roster’s ability to respond and get back to .500, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
“I believe wholeheartedly in our players,” O’Connell said. “Every opportunity we get, we’ll go out there and put our best foot forward—on the practice field and on game day. I think we’ll get healthier in some key spots, which is critical for our success.
But again, we’re not going to make excuses. Injuries or anything else—if you go looking for excuses, you’ll find them. We’re going to face this head-on as an organization.”
Quarterback Situation Still Unclear
The Vikings’ quarterback picture remains uncertain heading into Week 9. Rookie J.J. McCarthy has returned to practice after missing time with an ankle injury suffered early in the season. With Carson Wentz also injured during the Chargers game, Minnesota could soon see McCarthy back as the starter.
The former Michigan standout has appeared in only a few games so far, struggling to stay healthy, leaving the team unsure of what it truly has in him. Once he returns, the Vikings are hoping he can finally stay on the field and show his potential.
ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes recently weighed in on the situation, urging patience with the young quarterback.
“It’s too early to tell,” Kimes said on the October 23 episode of First Take. “Right now, yeah, it looks rough—but J.J. McCarthy has only attempted 41 passes in the NFL. I’m not writing the kid off based on such a small sample size. When he played, the offensive line was banged up, and his game relies a lot on athleticism, which may have been affected by the ankle injury.
And I get it—Vikings fans see Sam Darnold thriving in Seattle and might feel frustrated. But this front office chose to bet on youth, and it’s too soon to judge that decision when McCarthy has barely had a chance to play.”
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