Will Vikings use different quarterback to erase 'bad taste' of Packers loss?

The Vikings' regular-season finale at Detroit on Sunday will be about chasing the little remaining playoff chances as well as "getting that bad taste out of our mouth," coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday, a day after a 33-10 loss to the Packers.

O'Connell was asked whether the Vikings' playoff hopes — a 3% chance according to The New York Times' model — will impact playing time decisions with injured players or starters. He made it sound like whoever is available will play.

"That'll be determined throughout the week based upon how our guys are able to work through some of the injuries," O'Connell said. "But for the sake of going out — we still do have, albeit a small chance, we still do have a chance at the postseason. But I think more importantly for our team, it's getting that bad taste out of our mouth of a performance we're certainly not proud of and is not up to our expectation or to our standard. I imagine our guys will be ready to come back in and get to work this week."

The Vikings need to beat the Lions on Sunday and get some help. They need losses by the Seahawks, Packers and either the Saints or Buccaneers.

They also need a young locker room to avoid looking ahead to the offseason.

"Coming off the disappointment of that, I think that's when you truly are tested in the moments like this," O'Connell said.

Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips started preaching that message immediately after the loss.

"I don't have any fears or any concerns that we're going to have guys worried about the postseason or booking flights," Phillips said. "That's not the locker room these guys built here."

The Lions still have a shot at the NFC's No. 2 seed with a win and losses by the Cowboys and Eagles. Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday that starters will play against the Vikings.

"That's the plan right now," Campbell told Detroit reporters.

Rookie quarterback Jaren Hall's second NFL start ended prematurely as his first one did, and it's unlikely he'll get a third on Sunday. But O'Connell wasn't ready Monday to announce the starting quarterback, which figures to be either Nick Mullens or Joshua Dobbs, since players weren't reconvening until Tuesday.

O'Connell said Hall needs to know this isn't a "period on the end of what we think" of him as a player. Hall completed 5 of 10 passes for 67 yards and committed two turnovers in 24 plays before he was benched at halftime.

"We felt comfortable giving Jaren an opportunity," O'Connell said. "I did have confidence that Jaren would give us a chance to win and play well, and hopefully get off to a good start and gain confidence like a lot of young players do from there. That is just not what happened."

Cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. made a quick appearance on "Sunday Night Football" during a postgame scuffle with Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who did not play. Booth and Wicks were jawing when Wicks shoved Booth and accidentally hit Packers running back Aaron Jones in the face. Jones reacted by shoving Booth before teammates separated them.

"Just a little trash talk," Booth said Sunday night. "Going back and forth after the game."

Booth, a 2022 second-round pick out of Clemson, has been sparingly used as the team's fourth cornerback behind Byron Murphy Jr., Akayleb Evans and Mekhi Blackmon. He played eight snaps at the end of Sunday's loss.

"I'm just growing, planting seeds," Booth said. "Waiting for my moment. When that arises, I'll be ready."

The Vikings were down injured special teamers like linebacker Troy Dye and safety Theo Jackson, who blocked an extra point against Detroit. Cornerback NaJee Thompson stepped up with a couple of impactful hits, one that led to the Vikings' only touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Thompson raced downfield during a Vikings punt and timed his hit on Packers return man Samori Toure just as Toure muffed the catch. Thompson recovered the ball at the Packers 7. Two plays later, Mullens found tight end Johnny Mundt for a 6-yard score.

Thompson said that the Packers have "aggressive returners," and that he was motivated after coaches benched him in the first meeting on Oct. 29 at Lambeau Field.

"I knew our special teams would have a great opportunity," Thompson said. "[And] earlier in the year, I didn't get to play against the Packers, so this was a revenge game for me. I had it in my mind all night."

Star Tribune staff writer Randy Johnson contributed to this report.