Kevin O'Connell Left Stunned and Frustrated After Vikings' Shocking 22-6 Loss to Falcons
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was visibly shaken and frustrated after his team’s embarrassing 22-6 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. The loss, which saw the Vikings' offense fail to get anything going and the defense unable to stop the Falcons’ ground game, has left O'Connell grappling with tough questions about his team’s performance.
“We were not prepared, and that falls on me,” O'Connell said, clearly rattled by the outcome. “I thought we had a good game plan, but we didn’t execute in any phase of the game. We have to do better, and I have to do better as a coach. This loss is on me.”
The Vikings, who came into the season with high hopes, were unable to move the ball effectively and struggled to maintain any kind of rhythm throughout the game. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was under constant pressure and the running game was non-existent, as the Falcons controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage.
"Right now, nothing is clicking," Cousins admitted after the game. "We need to get back to basics and figure out how to execute when it counts. This performance was not acceptable."
O'Connell's frustration with his team's lack of execution was palpable. "This isn’t who we are," he continued. "I’m at a loss right now. We need to reassess everything. We’ll look at the film, address our mistakes, and figure out how to turn this around quickly."
The Vikings' loss to the Falcons has raised serious concerns about their ability to compete in a tough NFC North division. With a daunting schedule ahead, O'Connell and his staff have a lot of work to do to get the team back on track and restore confidence.
“This is a wake-up call,” O'Connell said, though his voice held a note of uncertainty. "We need to respond quickly, or this season could slip away before we even get started."
As the Vikings regroup and prepare for their next matchup, it’s clear that O'Connell’s leadership will be tested in the coming weeks. The pressure is on for the Vikings to make adjustments and get back into the win column.
Eagles’ Nick Sirianni Sounds Off on ‘Tush Push’ False Start Accusations
The Philadelphia Eagles got a big win on Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl. The final score was 20-17, but the Eagles controlled most of the game, dominating the Chiefs on the ground in Arrowhead Stadium on their way to the win.
As is becoming increasingly common after Philadelphia games, the Eagles received a lot of scrutiny for the execution of their infamous “tush push” play. While the standard quarterback sneak is more straightforward, the Eagles created a unique play where they line up two players directly behind the quarterback to push him through the pile. It’s an incredibly effective play, one with a high conversion rate. Even if they get stopped at first, they’ll simply line it up and try again.
A big part of the play’s success is the expertise with which the Eagles execute it. The offensive line gets incredibly low to the ground and wins with perfect leverage, creating a yard or so of space to drive through. After the game, a video went viral of a supposed false start penalty on one of these plays. During one goal line sequence, video appears to show both Philadelphia guards moving before the snap, and potentially lined up offsides, too. The video sparked intense debate online.
Philadelphia Eagles HC Nick Sirianni on the Tush Push Play
Al Bello/GettyEAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 20: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles scores a touchdown with the Tush Push play against the New York Giants during their game at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
During his post-game press conference, Sirianni was asked about the video and if he thought his team committed a false start penalty. “I think that the one clip I saw of it was slowed down so much that I’m not sure you can see that to the naked [eye],” he said. “I mean, it was slowed down so much.”
“And I get how we can manipulate things and show things like that. But it was slowed down so much, it was like…,” Sirianni said, imitating three beats with his hands to mimic the timing. “Right? But we understand that we have to be perfect on that play. And we’ll keep working on being perfect on that play. You know, someone shared that clip with me, and it’s like — but again, can you see that in the naked eye, right? Well, there’s things they do too on defense that sometimes you can’t see to the naked eye all the time, or the refs can’t see it also in that time to the naked eye. So you can do that with a lot of plays in football and slow it down.”
“The referees have a hard job. They have to make split-second decisions that are happening at this speed. You see that sometimes with pass interference, too — they slow it down where it’s, tch, tch tch, like really slow with the remote. And you’re like, ‘well yeah, this one you can see that it might be on this one.’ But we know we have to be perfect in that setting, and we’ll work to get even better at the play and even better with our timing. And I have no doubt that we have the right guys to be able to do it, and we will.”
The “Tush Push” Play Was Nearly Banned During the Offseason
Banning the tush push was a topic of conversation this offseason. At the annual owners meeting, it came to a vote, though the measure to ban it failed by two votes.
Discourse seems to have shifted even just two weeks into the season, however. It’s possible, if it gets put to a vote again next offseason, it’ll have a different result.
