MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikingslike the rest of the NFL’s leading contenders, has its share of mysteries to unravel in the coming weeks.
Will Sam Darnold keep hearing MVP chants at the bottom and deep into the playoffs? Can a defense that has shown some vulnerability against high-caliber passing attacks deliver a shutdown game against a star quarterback in the postseason?
Watch the Bears vs. Vikings as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader LIVE at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT on TSN3 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN app.
This much is clear: The Vikings have passed the team’s chemistry test.
Just look in the end zone after one of their league-leading 20 interceptions, where the choreographed celebrations get wilder by the week. Fellow safety Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus recently acted out a dance-off scene from the 20-year-old comedy film “White Chicks” complete with a mid-air flip by Bynum after Metellus picked a pass.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores was so impressed that he offered nonstop praise in his press conference this week.
“I love the creativity,” Flores said. “Look, you can’t play this game at a high level if you don’t have peace. I think you get it from your preparation, and once you get it, you can have some joy in playing this game. I like to see that from our group. I think that’s important. I think you put it together, that’s how you play at your optimal level.”
The Vikings wouldn’t defy even the most optimistic outside preseason projections without top-notch talent and schemes on both sides of the ball, but they might not be 11-2 entering Monday night’s game against Chicago without those good vibes, either.
Since the arrival of coach Kevin O’Connell in 2022, the Vikings from ownership down have received rave reviews as an organization where players want to play. Like any business, employees will typically be more productive when they enjoy not only their work but also the people they work with.
One look at these turnover celebrations will show just that.
“You have to celebrate everything the same way if it was you,” outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard said. “That way, you continue to get the same blessings that everybody else gets in their time. We’re all excited to play that play. We’re all excited for everybody to play that play.”
The tone has been set on top by the gregarious O’Connell, who made the most of his brief NFL journey as a clipboard-wearing backup quarterback. That insight has helped him create an environment conducive to success in Minnesota, from how he’s brought Darnold back to relevance with a career-changing season to how he’s taken lessons on defense from Flores and his students and applied them to a better playbook for the offense .
O’Connell, 39, is only four years older Harrison Smiththe six-time Pro Bowl safety still going strong in the secondary in his 13th season in the NFL.
Together by age gap and mutual respect, O’Connell and Smith have met every Friday in the head coach’s office over hot Americans to talk family, fatherhood and sometimes a little football.
“Half the time, people come in and out,” Smith said, smiling at his impression of the job: “How busy he is and how many people pull him all the time. I wouldn’t call it a peer relationship because he’s my boss, but we’re closer in age and we kind of came into the league when it was a certain way and now it’s changed a little bit. I’ve definitely gotten to know more about him as a coach, a player, a person, the whole thing.”
Of course, those scenes haven’t played out much this season for the Bears. They have fallen to 4-9 after losing seven straight, and coach Matt Eberflus was fired two weeks ago.
“I feel like I’ve definitely been through a lot here. I’ve been through my fair share of losing streaks. This is definitely not easy,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “This has definitely been a mental battle, trying to grind through this from a mental standpoint.”
For a team like the Vikings, riding a six-game winning streak and playing at home in prime time, this could be the type of opponent with the potential to be overlooked with a daunting final three games waiting to decide the division title and, likely, the top seed in the NFC.
However, teams with strong chemistry usually don’t let that happen.
“Just the maturity, people who understand how to deal with success,” Greenard said. “Just make sure we give everybody the same respect as the best team in the league, because anybody can get beat on any game or any day, so we’re always going to give the same respect and create the same fire.”
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