Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell drops ‘unbelievable’ take after dominating Giants..
Imagine the perfect opening act. In the season opener, the Minnesota Vikings defeated the New York Giants 28-6 thanks to a razor-sharp performance on the road. Both sides of the ball made major contributions to the victory, and head coach Kevin O’Connell was full of praise for the Vikings defense.
This group held the Giants to 240 yards, and in the third quarter, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel capped the effort with a 10-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Vikings had a three-touchdown advantage against the Giants after that play, and the home side was never able to close the deficit.
O’Connell had projected confidence in his defense throughout the summer, but he seemed somewhat stunned after the game when he analyzed the performance of the unit that is led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“Defensively, I don’t know what to say, other than, just an unbelievable performance from that group,” O’Connell said, per Ben Goessling of Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Sam Darnold, the rookie quarterback the Vikings hired to a one-year contract in the offseason, also had a strong showing. In his Vikings debut, he completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Darnold had an eye-opening start to the game, making all 12 of his throw attempts.
It was an incredible performance for us to be able to build on, Sam Darnold, for a guy in a new system to start 12 for 12 and be so composed throughout the game, according to O’Connell.
