Kevin O'Connell Articles - Page 2

Week 9 in the NFL was a bit of a wild one, with close finishes up and down the slate on Sunday. Unfortunately, the prime time games were duds, with the Ravens, Seahawks and Cardinals all dominating in front of a national audience. Now that the season is at the halfway point, all focus shifted […]

The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a significant upset as they defeated their division rival Detroit Lions 27-24 in Week 9 behind the leadership and execution of second-year quarterback. J.J. McCarthy. JALEN NAILOR ICES THE GAME FOR THE VIKINGS 😎pic.twitter.com/rZvy6hl3nc — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 2, 2025 The Lions had won the most recent five games in […]

The Minnesota Vikings fell to 3-4 on the season after a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football in Week 8. Carson Wentz was forced to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery after the game. The Vikings now plan to move forward with J.J. McCarthy. The second-year quarterback is expected to make his […]

The on-camera sidestep that sent Vikings fans into a tizzy last Thursday might have foreshadowed this: J.J. McCarthy looks ready to get back under center. After five missed games with a high ankle sprain, the second-year QB appears to be trending toward a Week 9 return. Adam Schefter reported, “Vikings listed J.J. McCarthy as a […]

There wasn’t a ton of drama and intrigue in Week 8 of the NFL season, but sometimes that’s what it takes to draw some hard lines in the sand about who is for real and who is not as the season reaches its halfway point. The week opened with a blowout on Thursday night, when […]

As Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz will have season-ending shoulder surgery, it adds another injury to the position, as he originally filled in for J.J. McCarthy. While Wentz played through a lot of pain for the Vikings in recent games, head coach Kevin O’Connell provides insight into the veteran quarterback wanting to continue. According to […]

Both the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Chargers were coming off disappointing losses to conference rivals when they met on Thursday night in Week 8. Both teams were hoping to bounce back in prime time despite dealing with injuries on a short week. But it was the Chargers who won in a blowout as […]

The Minnesota Vikings lost their seat atop the AFC West after getting pillaged by the Los Angeles Chargers, 37-10, at SoFi Stadium on Thursday. The Vikings dropped back-to-back assignments for the first time this season after also losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7. They fell to 3-4. Minnesota’s woes were compounded after left […]

The Minnesota Vikings’ 37-10 Thursday Night Football loss to the Los Angeles Chargers sent the team’s fanbase into an emotional tailspin. Now sitting at 3-4, the Vikings looked overwhelmed in every phase of the game Thursday night—and fans on social media didn’t hold back. What began with cautious optimism quickly spiraled into visible frustration and […]

Carson Wentz made his official return to SoFi Stadium in two years. But fans roasted the Minnesota Vikings quarterback, due to a turnover filled night against the Los Angeles Chargers. Wentz, who last played in the venue with the L.A. Rams, lost a fumble and endured an interception in Inglewood during the 37-10 loss. He […]

After watching Carson Wentz effectively throw away a “revenge game” against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7 with poorly executed pass after poorly executed pass, Minnesota Vikings fans are borderline desperate to see Kevin O’Connell make a change under center. Has JJ McCarthy been perfect in limited action for Minnesota? No, he’s looked, well, like […]

The Minnesota Vikings are once again dealing with a conundrum at the quarterback position. After JJ McCarthy went down with an ankle injury in Week 2, Carson Wentz has been the starter for the team at QB. Minnesota has seen some success with the former first overall pick under center, leading fans to wonder whether […]

The Minnesota Vikings’ Week 6 bye allowed the banged up team to rest several key players ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Minnesota isn’t fully healthy coming out of the break. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy will miss his fourth straight game with a high ankle sprain. Carson Wentz will start in Week 7 […]

The Minnesota Vikings enjoyed a bye week this past weekend after getting off to a 3-2 start to the 2025 NFL season. The Vikings most recently took the field overseas against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, picking up a narrow victory in a game that saw quarterback Carson Wentz deal with an injury but […]

With the rumors around the injury to Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the most recent news could signal a return to action after the bye week. In the latest injury update on the Vikings quarterback, he will return to the practice field along with other key players on the offensive line, according to Kevin Seifert […]

On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings improved to 3-2 on the young 2025 NFL season with a win over the Cleveland Browns in London by a score of 21-17. It was another start for Carson Wentz in place of the injured JJ McCarthy, and although Wentz himself was injured at one point in the game, […]

The Minnesota Vikings are holding their own in London. Minnesota and Cleveland have been tied at 7-7 for most of the first half. It appears that one Vikings player missed the start of the game because of a coach’s decision. Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison did not play in the first quarter because of a […]

The Minnesota Vikings started the year with the hope that this would be the season they demonstrate strength in all areas and make a run at their first Super Bowl title. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Vikings are already in survival mode as a result of injuries to the offensive line. […]

The Minnesota Vikings (2-1) are moving into unprecedented territory in Weeks 4 and 5 when they play consecutive games on European soil. No NFL team has ever played overseas games in back-to-back weeks. The Vikings have a huge overseas following, and that’s one of the reasons that owner Zygi Wilf agreed to send his team […]

Two games into his injury-riddled career, J.J. McCarthy is already back on the sidelines with a pesky ankle injury. With Carson Wentz looking strong in his Week 3 debut, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell will not commit to a specific timeline for McCarthy’s return. The team initially reported that McCarthy could miss up to […]

A banged up Minnesota Vikings team missing starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy took on an equally battered Cincinnati Bengals squad playing without star passer Joe Burrow. With both teams relying on backup quarterbacks, the Vikings’ defense stole the show. Isaiah Rodgers’ historic performance took the pressure off of Minnesota’s passing game in the team’s 48-10 blowout […]

The Minnesota Vikings dominated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, cruising to a 48-10 win that was essentially over before halftime. While backup quarterback Carson Wentz kept the offense on track in place of the injured J.J. McCarthy, the spotlight belonged to cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who delivered a game-changing performance. His three turnovers, two of which […]

The Minnesota Vikings took care of business on Sunday. Minnesota absolutely destroyed Cincinnati 48-10 in a game that was decided during the second quarter. Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers helped close the game in the first half with a monster performance. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was pumped up to give Rodgers a game ball on […]

The Minnesota Vikings faced significant pressure as they hosted the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Backup quarterback Carson Wentz had to take over for injured QB1 J.J. McCarthy, and he had joined the team  just a few weeks earlier. Head coach Kevin O’Connell had faith that Wentz could lead the […]

On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings moved to 2-1 on the young 2025 NFL season with a home demolition of the Cincinnati Bengals. This game featured both teams playing without their starting quarterbacks, as Carson Wentz started in place of the injured JJ McCarthy, and Jake Browning took over for Joe Burrow. Needless to say, […]

On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings will take the field at home for a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams will be playing with their backup quarterbacks in this game, as Carson Wentz takes the place of the injured JJ McCarthy, and Jake Browning takes over for Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who recently suffered […]

The Minnesota Vikings hoped to start the season the same way they did a year ago. Head coach Kevin O’Connell installed a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, and his team ran off to a 5-0 start. O’Connell groomed untested quarterback JJ McCarthy to take over as the team’s signal caller this year after missing the […]

The Minnesota Vikings entered Week 2 hoping to build momentum after narrowly escaping with a comeback win in their season opener. Instead, they delivered one of their most lifeless performances in recent memory. From the opening whistle to the final muffed punt, the Vikings were thoroughly outclassed by the Atlanta Falcons. What made the defeat […]

The Minnesota Vikings sit at 1-1 overall with JJ McCarthy leading the offense. McCarthy won over his team and Vikings fans by leading an epic Week 1 comeback over the Chicago Bears. However, there are now some concerns as McCarthy is working through an injury. McCarthy is now dealing with a high ankle sprain following […]

The Minnesota Vikings had an early scare against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at US Bank Stadium. The visitors started the scoring with back-to-back field goals until the Vikings scored two of their own courtesy of Will Reichard in the second period to remain afloat, 9-6, at halftime. Unfortunately, those were the last points of […]

The Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy era started with a bang as the second-year quarterback led the team to a wild comeback win over the Chicago Bears in the season opener. Minnesota hopes to carry that momentum into Week 2’s matchup against the 0-1 Atlanta Falcons. However, the Vikings could once again be without veteran safety […]

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a 14-3 season in which they earned the best record in NFL history of any team that did not win their division title. Head coach Kevin O’Connell knows that his team has multiple areas of strength, and one spot he knows that will regularly come through is the wide […]

The Vikings got off to a spectacular start in the 2025 season, winning their first game of the season thanks to a spectacular comeback in the fourth quarter led by quarterback JJ McCarthy. The second-year leader missed all of the 2024 season due to an injury, but he threw two touchdown passes and ran for […]

With the Minnesota Vikings preparing for a Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the latest development shows that starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy couldn’t participate in Thursday’s practice session. After McCarthy led the Vikings in an epic win over the Chicago Bears in Week 1, he missed practice on Thursday for a good reason as […]

The Minnesota Vikings are one of the best teams in the NFL and proved it on Monday night in their comeback win against the Chicago Bears. Many believe head coach Kevin O’Connell is one of the top coaches in the NFL, as he has been nothing short of elite since taking the job in Minnesota. […]

The Minnesota Vikings started their season with a gutsy 27-24 victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Some late-game heroics from quarterback J.J. McCarthy helped seal the win, but head coach Kevin O’Connell was not fully happy with the team’s performance. O’Connell told Michael Silver of The Athletic that the group will have to […]

The Minnesota Vikings started Week 1 off with an emphatic win on the road. Minnesota rallied in the fourth quarter, completing a 21-point comeback to beat Chicago 27-24. Second-year QB J.J. McCarthy played a big role in the impressive win. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell smiled while answering questions after the big win. O’Connell joked […]

J.J. McCarthy delivered a dramatic Monday Night Football finish as the Minnesota Vikings finally snapped a frustrating 14-game skid, rallying from 11+ points down in the second half at Chicago to escape with a 27-24 victory. The rookie quarterback, making his long-awaited NFL debut after missing 2024 with an ACL tear, overcame an interception and […]

To begin his first career start, it looked like quarterback JJ McCarthy was going through some understandable jitters. He seemed almost rattled, as he made some questionable decisions and uncharacteristically poor throws, and the Minnesota Vikings ended up trailing the Chicago Bears by 11 at the end of three quarters. But McCarthy seemed to figure […]