Kevin O’Connell admitted taking longer than usual to address the team after the Minnesota Vikings escaped Jacksonville with a 12-7 victory on Sunday.
“I just wanted to walk around right now,” he said, “and personally congratulate every member of our defense.”
O’Connell then handed a game ball to every defensive player after they held the Jacksonville Jaguars to 10 first downs, 143 yards, and seven points. O’Connell hands out enough pigskin after games to put hogs on the endangered species list. Still, the defense deserved it.
However, he reserved three game balls for Parker Romo, Jake McQuaide, and Ryan Wright.
The Vikings had put Will Reichard and Andrew DePaola on injured reserve last week. Therefore, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels had to reconstruct two-thirds of Minnesota’s kicking unit before Sunday’s game.
Romo was with the Vikings in camp and won a five-player kicking competition during the week. McQuaide is a 14-year veteran who played with Daniels on the St. Louis Rams in 2012 and 2013. He made two All-Star teams in 2016 and 2017 and remained with the Rams from 2011 to 2020, signing with the Dallas Cowboys the year before they won the Super Bowl.
“On a game like this…two guys showed up (on a Wednesday),” O’Connell said in his postgame speech. “All Park did is go out there and go four for four.
“The other guy that showed up this week stepping in for one of our captains, who we love to death, DePo.”
O’Connell then lifted a football and handed it to McQuaide.
However, the honor came with a caveat. McQuaide is a seasoned veteran. Still, he got some jitters, especially in a game where Minnesota didn’t score a touchdown. With 1:42 left in the third quarter, the Vikings lined up for a 33-yard field goal down 7-3. McQuaide fired a hard snap off target that Wright reached for and corralled. Minnesota’s punter got the ball down with ample time for Romo to convert the kick.
“You probably didn’t even see it,” O’Connell said in his postgame speech, “but Ryan Wright, that hold on the second one, McQuaid was a little excited, and he fired a rocket, and you put that ball down. Those were the three points we needed in that moment.”
Romo’s second field goal changed the complexion of the game. The Vikings converted field goals on their next two possessions. Still, had he missed the second one because of the snap, Minnesota wouldn’t have taken the lead until 4:22 in the fourth. The two-win Jaguars would have gotten the ball back, knowing they only needed to kick a field goal to pull off the upset.
The Jaguars game never should have been this close. The oddsmakers had Minnesota winning by seven, but the Vikings became the second team in NFL history to record 28 first downs without a touchdown. They possessed the ball for 42:19; only two other teams had more time of possession and failed to find the end zone. Had Darnold connected with Jefferson on two of his three interceptions, the Vikings would have won 24-7.
The Vikings could have won by more, given they had 402 yards of offense to Jacksonville’s 143 and possessed the ball for over 40 minutes. Minnesota shouldn’t have had to rely on its overhauled kicking unit to win this game.
“When I talk about whatever it takes,” O’Connell told his team after the game. “We get 60 minutes, and we don’t get to decide how that 60 minutes plays out.”
O’Connell reiterated his faith in Darnold in his postgame speech and press conference. Still, Darnold has regressed, starting with the New York Jets game in London, and the Vikings don’t have a better quarterback option.
The Vikings should blow out the two-win Tennessee Titans next week, and they get to face the sputtering Chicago Bears after that. However, Reichard and DePaola cannot come off injured reserve until Week 14 against Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons.
Minnesota’s new-look kicking unit delivered on Sunday. Still, the Vikings may lose a game they should win in the soft spot of their schedule if they continue to stress-test it.
