Following the vicious fires in the Los Angeles, CA, region that caused this Wild Card game to relocate, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell had a heartfelt message for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams before their playoff matchup, per ESPN.

“There's really no words you can say other than you're thinking about them, praying for them, and just hoping that things start to turn here,” O'Connell said.

Though the playoffs are incredibly tense and competitive for all 14 teams, O'Connell showed his human side, expressing true concern for their opponents given what they're going through.

And as a San Diego native, O'Connell's roots go back to one of the areas affected by these wildfires.

Playing high school in La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, CA), O'Connell stayed local in college, attending San Diego State for four seasons.

Not only is O'Connell native to the areas affected by these wildfires, but he has a direct connection to McVay, someone he considers a great friend.

Before taking the Vikings' head coaching job in 2023, O'Connell was McVay's offensive coordinator with the Rams for two seasons.

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And although both coaches have found success without each other, the connection between the two is hard to miss. The level of respect O'Connell has for McVay was made abundantly clear, as the Vikings head coach made note of their relationship before facing off against McVay for the first time in Week 8 of the 2024 season, per Rob Kleifield of Vikings.com.

“He's one of my closest friends in this league,” O'Connell said. “I have so much love for him.”

O'Connell continued, noting everything he admires ab the Rams' head coach.

“I have so much respect for him – how he runs that organization, his leadership, his football intellect,” O'Connell said. “He's as good as it gets, and I've got nothing but love for him, and will always be like that.”

With both teams facing possible elimination on Saturday, the Vikings' head coach sent his best regards to their opponent as the Rams endure something much bigger than football.

Although they're enemies on the field, O'Connell had nothing but positive things to say about his former colleague as they navigate the mess these fires have caused.