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KOC after Vikings hot start: ‘They’re going to be f***ing talking about the guys in this room’

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Published  October 14, 2024 7:08pm CDT
Minnesota Vikings
FOX 9

Vikings return from bye hungry after 5-0 start

Vikings players Dalton Risner, Cam Bynum, Ed Ingram, Shaq Griffin and Jonathan Greenard spoke Monday from the locker room at TCO Performance center as the team returned from its bye week and is 5-0 on the season.

EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings are back from their bye week, rested after a 5-0 start and a win over the New York Jets in London.

But footage from a recent team meeting suggests Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings will have a chip on their shoulder the rest of the season. The team released a video on social media following a win over the Houston Texans and a 3-0 start, yet not much national conversation about the Vikings. O’Connell had something to say about that in a team meeting.

"We’re perfectly fine with nobody talking about the Minnesota Vikings. I feel even more confident now that the best football team that we could possibly have is in this room right now. Capable of accomplishing anything we want this year," O’Connell told his players. "Let everybody else talk about predictions and expectations and all those things. We know everything we need to know is in this room, and we’re more than capable of going to do it. But mark my words, before it’s all said and done, they’re going to be f***ing talking about the guys in this room."

Why it matters

The Vikings are 5-0 for the first time since 2017. That team finished 8-8 and missed the NFC Playoffs. They went 13-4 in O’Connell’s first season, then lost to the New York Giants in the playoffs. They went 7-10 last year and missed the playoffs.

What the players are saying

Vikings’ players are saying all the right things coming back from the bye week. They’re enjoying being 5-0, but they’re far from satisfied. They haven’t done anything yet, no division title, no playoff berth. There are still 12 regular season games left.

"Man it’s about to be a heck of a 12-round fight going into this last stretch. Everybody is going to be gunning for us, it’s great that we started out hot and started out fast," Jonathan Greenard said. "Now it’s time for us to put the foot on the gas and take off. One play and the season could change completely."

Cam Bynum isn’t listening to the outside noise, which has grown ever since beating the Texans, Packers and Jets to get to 5-0.

"All that stuff is poisonous. Across the whole locker room, nobody is really paying attention to the noise. We know what we have in this locker room," Bynum said. "We know what we’ve had since training camp and OTAs, so nothing is coming to us by surprise at all."

Dalton Risner returns

The Vikings opened Dalton Risner’s 21-day practice window on Monday. He was placed on injured reserve with a back issue that he suffered during training camp. Risner made 11 starts at left guard last season, then returned to Minnesota on a one-year deal. He has to compete for a job on the offensive line with Ed Ingram and Blake Brandel. He has until Nov. 4 to be placed on the active roster. The Vikings face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, then travel to the L.A. Rams on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 24 and host the Indianapolis Colts Nov. 3.