Sports

RandBall: Vikings’ visible frustration boiled over in Sunday’s loss

Justin Jefferson, J.J. McCarthy and Kevin O’Connell all wore their emotions plainly for TV cameras to see during Sunday’s 19-17 loss to the Bears.

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By Michael Rand

The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 17, 2025 at 4:45PM
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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For the Vikings right now, the only thing worse than the results is the vibes.

They are playing like a team that should be frustrated. They are also letting that frustration spill out in on-field demonstrations easily picked up by high-definition TV cameras.

There were at least three such instances in Sunday’s 19-17 loss to the Bears.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with having emotion in an emotional game — the opposite might signal the Vikings were checked out — outbursts like the ones we saw are often signals of frustration that goes beyond the moment.

Remember Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen as a playoff berth slipped away in 2018? Or Cousins and Mike Zimmer getting into a shoving match in 2021? I can’t imagine those were isolated moments.

Patrick Reusse and I talked about the Vikings’ frustration on Monday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

Let’s dive into three specific moments at the start of today’s 10 things to know:

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  • That’s a two-for-one of frustration. First, you see McCarthy and left tackle Christian Darrisaw react with frustration to the Vikings’ only false start penalty of the day — a costly one that turned third-and-2 into third-and-7. With a longer distance to go, McCarthy sailed a pass high over Jefferson’s head and forced the Vikings to punt. As fans booed him off the field, McCarthy showed his frustration walking off. A team that is clicking is able to shrug off those moments. The Vikings are not that team.
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    • And finally, here is Kevin O’Connell showing his frustration while crossing paths with special teams coordinator Matt Daniels after the Bears’ long kickoff return that ended up setting up their game-winning field goal. Overall, KOC can’t be mad at the special teams. Myles Price had a big return that changed momentum Sunday. Will Reichard has been nearly automatic this year. In Pro Football Focus team grades before Sunday, the Vikings ranked No. 29 on offense (KOC’s specialty), No. 22 on defense and No. 2 on special teams. But in that moment, with the game on the line and with the Vikings trying to overcome 58 minutes of poor offense, one mistake cost them and O’Connell’s frustration with both the play and quite possibly the team’s predicament boiled over.
      • Chip Scoggins wrote more about McCarthy’s accuracy problems, while Jim Souhan thinks the Vikings have a real mess on their hands.
        • I wondered if the Vikings might pull McCarthy at some point Sunday, given that any real chance of making the playoffs hinged on winning against the Bears. They stuck with him and did eventually take a lead, but by losing that game, they paradoxically now have more incentive to stick with him and focus solely on his development over winning.
          • The offense gets most of the blame overall Sunday, and the special teams gets specific blame in a key moment. The defense? It was adequate but again non-game-changing. The Vikings had five takeaways against the Bengals. They have four takeaways in their other nine games.
            • McCarthy only completed half his passes Sunday, but Shedeur Sanders only completed a quarter of his passes.
              • I’ll have more on the specific breakdowns by the Vikings during Tuesday’s film review with Andrew Krammer on Daily Delivery.
                • The Timberwolves are 8-5. Their eight victories are against teams with losing records, and their five losses are against teams with winning records, a trend that continued over the weekend with a win over Sacramento and a loss to Denver.
                  • The Wild are suddenly 9-7-4 after a 6-1-1 start to November.
                    about the writer

                    about the writer

                    Michael Rand

                    Columnist / Reporter

                    Michael Rand is the Minnesota Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer and host/creator of the Daily Delivery podcast. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything (except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl).

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