Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell called the 27-24 win against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field a “total team win,” with the victory snapping a two-game skid and highlighting the kind of balanced, resilient performance O’Connell has been pushing for all season.
Vikings Win Behind Team Leadership and J.J. McCarthy’s Poise
O’Connell acknowledged how difficult it is to win at Ford Field and credited his team for staying resilient despite adversity.
“It’s a tough place to come win,” O’Connell said. “Be very easy to just kind of succumb to some of the aspects of this league when things aren’t going your way. This team just does not do that. They earned a very hard-fought, total team win.”
O’Connell shared that his captains helped set the tone early in the week. “They just wanted to make sure everybody heard all eight of them individually stand up and deliver messages about what we’ve built here,” he said. “Some spoke with emotion, some with fire. The vibe of the team under difficult circumstances was unbelievable.”
“I absolutely love these players, I love this team, I love our coaching staff” – Head Coach Kevin O’Connell on the team’s attitude throughout the week pic.twitter.com/ZBdGlA0ifc
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 2, 2025
That leadership carried into Sunday’s game. The Vikings controlled the line of scrimmage, forcing the Lions into third-and-long situations and limiting their rushing attack to just 65 yards. Minnesota’s defense ranks eighth in PFSN’s DEFi and backed that metric up on Sunday.
“Our defensive line and edge players played with the kind of knock-back that allowed guys like Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson to make a lot of plays,” O’Connell said. “We moved Jared Goff off the spot, affected some throws, and stopped the run early. That was huge.”
He also praised quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who threw two touchdowns, ran for another, and sealed the game with a third-down strike to Jalen Nailor. “We saw a lot of the things he’s capable of doing,” O’Connell said. “He made critical plays to win the game. His poise and command in that environment showed the kind of player he can become.”
The Vikings improved to 4-4 with the victory and reasserted themselves in the NFC North race. “From the first play to the last, we needed the competitive stamina to do the things required to beat good football teams,” O’Connell said. “That’s exactly what we did today.”