Kevin O’Connell didn’t have much appetite for trade deadline talk after the Vikings got thumped on Monday night.
Minnesota was manhandled 23-6 at home by the Bills in Week 9, a loss that put O’Connell and two others squarely in the crosshairs. Carson Wentz had a brutal night in relief duty, throwing two interceptions as Buffalo’s defense tore him apart and left the Vikings stuck with a completion percentage that was ugly from start to finish.
With the NFL trade deadline only hours away at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, O’Connell was asked whether Minnesota might look for help at quarterback, especially with Kyler Murray dealing with a hamstring issue and Wentz coming off that disaster. His answer kept the focus on the front office.
“Yeah, I'll defer to (GM) Nolan Teasley on that, we've had dialogue about a lot of different positions, and, tight turnaround playing on a Monday Night game, and we'll get right to work on any potential moves that can be there, but really just focused on the game tonight, which was not good enough in any shape or form.”
The Vikings never found much rhythm against Joe Brady’s Bills. They finished with fewer than 200 total yards and coughed it up three times, with Wentz responsible for two of those giveaways. Buffalo grabbed control early when Josh Allen bounced back from an interception in the end zone and found tight end Keleki Latu on a 25-yard touchdown that pushed the Bills ahead 10-3 on the way to the road win.
Now O’Connell has the more delicate job of getting his quarterback back on track after a rough night that played out in front of Pat McAfee and Tony Romo on the broadcast, and under the Bills’ pressure on the field. The Vikings coach has enough in him to steady things, but the margin for error is thin with the Packers and the 49ers coming up.
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The problem is that the market has not been friendly. The names that naturally come up in a search for quarterback insurance have not been available, and league chatter suggests Minnesota is not aggressively chasing a deal right now anyway. So for the moment, the Vikings are left to ride with what they have and hope the current setup can hold long enough for the deadline to pass without forcing a bigger decision. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Ugly Loss Just Put The Offense Under A Harsh Spotlight
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For a team that had built its early success on consistency, the concern now is less about one bad day than what it says about the bigger picture. If the offense keeps sputtering, the conversation around the Vikings will quickly shift from a single ugly loss to the larger questions of strategy, adjustment and whether the coaching staff can get this group back on track before the pressure really starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Pressure Is Mounting As OConnell Cant Ignore QB Problem
The Vikings are staring at a quarterback conversation they can no longer sidestep after the loss to Buffalo, and Kevin OConnell made clear afterward that any potential move before the trade deadline would run through general manager Nolan Teasley. OConnell also owned up to the teams poor showing and the strain that comes with trying to steer the offense as both head coach and play-caller, a combination that has only sharpened the scrutiny around a position that has been too inconsistent for comfort.
With the deadline approaching, the pressure is no longer just about one bad afternoon but about whether Minnesota can afford to stand pat if it wants to keep the season from slipping further. The options floating around are still only that, options, but the bigger issue is obvious: the Vikings need a better answer under center, and OConnell is now in the middle of a decision that could shape the rest of the year. [Read more 🡒]