The Vikings have made a habit of answering questions this season. On Sunday in Detroit, they’ll face one of their biggest yet.
Kevin O’Connell didn’t soften the assignment Wednesday. Minnesota heads into an NFC North showdown against the 4-2 Lions with a 6-0 record, but the head coach made it clear the road ahead looks nothing like a routine divisional game.
“This is going to be a heck of a challenge for us,” O’Connell said. “We’re going to need to play our best game yet.”
He doubled down on that theme when talking about the matchup in Detroit.
“We know what we’re signing up for,” O’Connell said. “We know this team well and it’s going to be a flat-out battle and what our division is all about.”
One of the biggest reasons Minnesota has stayed unbeaten is the play of linebacker Blake Cashman, and O’Connell spent time Wednesday giving him his due. Cashman has taken on a larger role as the defense’s signal caller, and the coach said the recognition is catching up to the performance.
“I’m glad he’s getting the recognition that his play is warranting because he’s playing great football,” O’Connell said. “Leading our defense, green dot, such a huge part of our defense’s success.”
The Vikings also came out of Wednesday with some uncertainty on the injury front. Running back Aaron Jones Sr. and offensive lineman Joe Huber both sat out practice, and O’Connell said Huber’s issue is knee soreness that showed up after last week’s win. The team isn’t sounding alarmed, but it does want to track him closely through the week.
“We’ll see how they feel tomorrow,” O’Connell said.
If Huber can’t go, Trevor Keegan and Caleb Tiernan could pick up more work up front. O’Connell said the staff has already started building contingency plans and cross-training players to handle possible changes.
Jones remains in the same day-to-day category.
“He feels strong, he feels like he’s going to be able to progress and get to a good place on game day,” O’Connell said. “But we have to have plans in place regardless.”
Detroit brings a lot more than a tough crowd and a 4-2 record. O’Connell spent part of his availability breaking down Jared Goff, and his respect for the Lions quarterback was obvious. He called Goff one of the league’s best pure passers and pointed to Detroit’s offensive continuity as a major reason the group hums.
“He is as good as anybody throwing the football point A to point B,” O’Connell said.
The Lions can hurt opponents in a hurry with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs around him. O’Connell said Goff’s ability to sort through coverage and attack what he sees makes the offense even more dangerous.
“When he can sit back there and diagnose coverage and attack coverage, they’re really, really good,” O’Connell said.
He also noted how quickly Detroit can turn ordinary snaps into explosive touchdowns, which is exactly the kind of margin the Vikings can’t afford to lose if they want to stay undefeated.
On defense, O’Connell highlighted the return of safety Brian Branch, calling him a tone-setter for the Lions secondary.
“He’s kind of an igniter for them,” O’Connell said. “Such a ball hawking, playmaking, physical player. One of the best in the game.”
He paired Branch with Aidan Hutchinson and Jack Campbell as players who give Detroit impact talent at every level.
Even with Minnesota’s perfect record, O’Connell said the offense still has room to grow. The Vikings have leaned heavily into early-down rushing attempts, a shift from some of his previous offenses, and that has sometimes cut into Justin Jefferson’s opportunities. Still, O’Connell said defenses continue to focus on Jefferson.
“We definitely want to continue to find ways to get him the ball,” O’Connell said.
He also said the unit is still building chemistry with quarterback Kyler Murray and learning how best to use its playmakers.
“We’re still in the stage where we’ve got to evaluate things and progress,” O’Connell said.
For O’Connell, the checklist for the final 11 games is pretty straightforward: explosive plays, third-down efficiency, ball security and fewer penalties.
He also confirmed conversations are ongoing with general manager Nolan ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
“If there’s an opportunity that makes sense to improve our team, we’re going to take a look at it,” O’Connell said.
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