Kevin O'Connell knows Vikings must play better after near collapse vs. GB

The Vikings nearly let a 28-0 lead slip away from them on Sunday.

Sep 29, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Vikings moved to 4-0 on Sunday with a road win over the rival Packers, but they weren't exactly pleased with themselves afterwards. That's because they only narrowly avoided what would've been an epic collapse, watching a 28-0 lead become an uncomfortable 28-22 advantage and an eventual 31-29 victory. Kevin O'Connell knows the Vikings have a lot to work on after a game in which they turned it over three times and allowed over 450 total yards.

"Lotta things still to clean up," he said. "Starts with me. We'll make sure we keep refining this football team. ... What happened today means absolutely nothing moving forward, other than we've gotta go back to work and continue to improve as a football team. Because I absolutely love this team."

For 25 minutes of game time, everything was going right for the Vikings. When Sam Darnold hit Justin Jefferson for a touchdown with 5:28 left in the second quarter, it was 28-0 and the Vikings had gotten into the end zone on four of their five possessions. Meanwhile, the Packers' four drives had ended in two missed field goals and two interceptions.

But things shifted in a big way after that. Jalen Nailor made a bad decision on special teams and muffed a punt that set up a Packers touchdown. The Vikings' offense went five straight possessions without scoring, before coming up with a key drive to push their advantage from six points back to nine. Their defense allowed a whopping 226 yards and 22 points in the fourth quarter.

"The lack of scoring in the second half really wasn't about us taking our foot off the gas or anything," O'Connell said. "They did some things to adjust. We had some self-inflicted penalties. A couple of their second-half adjustment pressures gave us some problems that I've gotta get cleaned up. 100 percent on me."

The Nailor gaffe sparked the Packers, while a controversial Darnold interception and a Packers strip-sack turned the tides in the second half. The Vikings also failed to convert on third and 1 or fourth and 1 four times in the game, which were missed opportunities to put Green Bay away.

But give O'Connell credit for remaining aggressive. The Vikings leaned on Darnold on the game's critical drive in the fourth quarter, as he completed four consecutive passes to set up Will Reichard's field goal. O'Connell also went for it on fourth and 1 up nine points, looking to put the game away instead of just going up 12.

"I want our guys to understand that I believe in them," O'Connell said. "They made a play, but I want our guys to know I'm gonna be aggressive."

The Vikings' defense, which prides itself on being one of the best units in the league, feels like there's a lot to improve upon after allowing Jordan Love to throw for nearly 400 yards, including a pair of touchdown drives that went 89 and 96 yards late in the game.

"I think there's a lot we can do better," linebacker Blake Cashman said (via FOX 9's Ahmad Hicks). "All year, our rush and coverage have been married and we've excelled there. Today, Green Bay had a good plan for that. We're gonna have to clean up, mix up our rush plan, and we've gotta take away those pockets in our coverage because we can't let teams have that many explosives on us. We'll get it fixed and we'll be better."

"I think we needed a game to be humbled a bit, a little wake-up call," Cashman added. "Because we haven't faced adversity yet this year like that."

Throughout this 4-0 start to the season for the Vikings, O'Connell's message has been about remaining disciplined and not letting the results change who they are or how they prepare. The Vikings know they need to keep working and seeking improvement, especially after a game that they nearly let slip on Sunday.

"The results are great, and I hope Vikings fans and everybody's excited about the start we've gotten off to," O'Connell said. "I'm gonna continue to not allow that to be a factor in anything we do inside the walls of our organization."