A Vikings Update that Could Give Fans Heartburn

Q: What did Kevin O'Connell say about the Vikings' strategy for the 2026 season?

Kevin O'Connell highlighted the need to focus on a strong run game and dominant defense, which helped the team win five consecutive games at the end of the 2025 season.

Q: How many draft picks do the Minnesota Vikings have for the 2026 NFL Draft?

The Minnesota Vikings have nine draft picks for the 2026 NFL Draft, which they plan to use to reinforce their aging roster.

Q: What challenges did quarterback J.J. McCarthy face during the 2025 season?

J.J. McCarthy faced several challenges, including a missed rookie season, early injuries, mechanical adjustments, and playing behind an injured offensive line.

Q: Why is there tension surrounding the Vikings' upcoming draft strategy?

Tension exists due to past draft failures and concerns about the team's ability to effectively rebuild its roster while aiming for a more balanced and physical style of play.

A Vikings Update that Could Give Fans Heartburn Well, some folks won’t be pleased by this one even if it’s just some meaningless coach talk. An odd Vikings update emerged when skipper Kevin O’Connell did an interview with Mike Florio and Chris Simms of *Pro Football Talk* a few weeks ago. The conversation covered a variety of topics, but the detour into a revelatory strategy adjustment may have caused listeners to perk up. Per O’Connell, the Vikings rediscovered how important it is to rally around a strong run game and dominant defense, an approach that fuelled the five-game winning streak to end the 2025 season.

A Vikings Update Some May Not Love

For good reason, the conversation around the Minnesota Vikings rests on the 2026 NFL Draft. Minnesota sits atop nine draft picks and roughly thirty open roster spots. Adding a pile of young talent is needed to reinforce a top-heavy roster that’s getting older. Most think that a young defender is going to arrive at No. 18, but not everyone agrees. Few, if any, expect a trade up, but moving down has its merit for a team that’s aiming for quiet competence rather than flashy, high-upside risk.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy and head coach Kevin O'Connell in Dallas in 2025

Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback (9) slaps hands with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell after a made field goal against the during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Part of the reason why things feel so tense right now is because of the draft whiffs in recent years. Goodness, the main reason why Rob Brzezinski is the fill-in GM is since the former GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, got canned for . J.J. McCarthy was chosen at No. 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft. He did so after proving to be a very good college quarterback even as many insisted he got boosted by operating from within a loaded Michigan program. After all, Jim Harbaugh’s team had a fantastic ground game and defense, meaning McCarthy didn’t need to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Kevin O’Connell may have missed the memo. Or, at least, he didn’t fully give credence to the approach until late in the season. Check out what he had to say about that late-season winning streak and . “We were able to apply some things to our overall toolbox of how we’re going to win games,” O’Connell said to . He goes on: “Maybe I don’t get invited to the smart guy table by playing a certain kind of style where we ran the football, we were not going to turn it over, and we’re going to play great defense. And we won five games in a row.” “So what I told our team at the end of the year is,” O’Connell further explained, “let’s not forget the fact that we just learned maybe some new ways to win.” Speaking prophetically, O’Connell then said that “maybe we’ll need to really call upon that […] late in December in a bad weather game” before saying that “those types of games still win.” Oct 5, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell during warmups before an NFL International Series game between the Minnesota Vikings and the at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Folks, that’s a less-than-perfect answer. In fairness, Kevin O’Connell is probably just doing Kevin O’Connell things: saying a ton of words within his relentlessly positive outlook. Still, though, that’s not a great response. Just tally up some of the hurdles that J.J. McCarthy was trying to clear last season: