After an entire off-season of speculation, we finally got to see the 2025 Minnesota Vikings play some football. It was an electric performance for a team that needed a road win to make a statement about their off-season decision to move on from Sam Darnold. For Vikings fans, it’s one that you’ll remember for a long time as the game that J.J. McCarthy arrived as the Vikings got the 27-24 win in hostile territory.
Special Teams Were Special
There was a lot of doubt surrounding Myles Price and a special teams unit that looked shaky in the pre-season. That, however, is why we wait until the regular season begins to pass judgment. The special teams impact started with a huge Will Reichard 59-yard field goal at the end of the half to give the Vikings some momentum. Myles Price was huge as a returner, racking up a total of 68 punt return yards. Without ideal field position, which was also helped by a big Eric Wilson punt block, the Vikings likely don’t win this game. It’s a statement game for special teams coordinator Matt Daniels, who had a lot to prove on the road in Soldier Field.
The Interior Defensive Line Looks Solid
Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake-Rodriguez, and Javon Hargrave all made big-time plays in this game, but their impact was felt beyond the box score. Caleb Williams was comfortable in the first quarter, but as they began to collapse the pocket, you could see the anxiety begin to sink in. Hargrave got a huge sack on Williams in the fourth quarter that seemed to throw his accuracy off for the rest of the game. We were wondering how this new interior defensive line would look under Brian Flores, and they certainly didn’t disappoint in their first outing.
Donovan Jackson Showed Out
Rookie left guard Donovan Jackson was not the flashiest first-round pick. Many fans wanted to address the secondary with a corner back like Will Johnson or a safety like Malaki Starks. Still, Kwesi Adofoh-Mensah opted to bulk up the interior offensive line instead. So far, this looks like a home run decision as Jackson had an 88.1 PFF pass blocking rating and allowed a grand total of 0 pressures. For a rookie playing his first game on the road, you can’t ask for a more impressive performance. There will be ups and downs, but it’s beyond promising to see Jackson performing at such a high level this early.
McCarthy Magic
After he threw a brutal pick-six to Nahshon Wright in the third quarter, J.J. McCarthy’s career ended, and he became the latest in a long line of Minnesota Vikings quarterback disappointments. That might have been the takeaway if you listened to Twitter doomers instead of watching the end of the game. After an abysmal start, McCarthy caught fire in the fourth quarter, throwing for two touchdowns and running for what was basically a game-sealing touchdown. His poise and accuracy in the fourth quarter of his very first NFL game was the stuff of legends. It wasn’t always pretty, but McCarthy showed why he was a first-round pick, and why Kevin O’Connell has such a deep belief in him as a leader and a playmaker. It’s just one game, but it’s one that Vikings fans needed to see from McCarthy. Time will tell what he really turns into, but for now, Vikings fans can feel that the franchise is in safe hands with a young quarterback who will do anything in his power to drag his team to victory.
Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores Are the Difference
Lost in all of the chaos is the fact that Kevin O’Connell has been doing this for a few years now. We’ve seen the ups and downs, but the Vikings teams that O’Connell has coached have always had grit and a killer instinct that is hard to pin down with stats and metrics. They’ve simply been clutch. While McCarthy will deservedly get most of the attention from this game, I’d like to give some kudos to Kevin O’Connell, who has led the Vikings through adversity again and again. As the Vikings get ready to take on the Falcons on Sunday Night Football, there’s nobody you’d rather have at the helm than the 2024 Coach of the Year: Kevin O’Connell.
