Mike Florio ,
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The Vikings, as of Sunday morning, were 3-2. They’re now 3-4.
And the loss to the Chargers was the low point of the season, a 37-10 blowout loss.
After the game, coach Kevin O’Connell was candid.
“We got outplayed,” O’Connell said. “We got outcoached. 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 put on the field, and we’ve got — as I told our team — we’ve got an opportunity in front of us where we need to own this. 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.”
Can it change?
“I believe in our players, wholeheartedly,” O’Connell said. “I believe in every opportunity we have, we’re gonna 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, you know, are critical for our ability to have success. But once again, injuries and any other excuse if you go looking for them you’ll find them. We will not be doing that. We’re going to meet this head on as an organization. And that’s what we’re gonna do.”
They’ll have some extra time to do it. But the next stop is a return to Detroit, where last season’s magical push for the No. 1 seed became a one-and-out wild-card run. And the Lions are looking like the team they were last year.
The Vikings, frankly, are not.
So that’s the challenge. That’s the test. Can they do it? Most will think they can’t. Based on Thursday night’s game, it’s hard to find many/any reasons to believe they can.
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