Vikings - 33
Patriots - 26
A: Well, I know sometimes I stand up here and talk about things like culture, I talk about our locker room in my opinion being one of the most connected, close-knit groups in the entire National Football League that I've been around.
I think sometimes people shrug their shoulders, shake their head, Yeah, that's not going to matter. Four days' time to turn around after a loss that could leave a lot of teams searching.
Our guys searched, they wanted to show up back to work, on a short week, prepare. Our coaching staff put together a great plan. They came out here and had a ton of energy. I give Tyler Williams, Uriah a great deal of credit for getting our guys turned over. How we prepare is an important part of it.
My goal here is to have our organization to put it all together, even when people don't give us a chance or when adversity hits, that's when I happen to believe the best parts of our team come out. I think that will continue to serve us well as we continue to improve as a football team this year.
Q. What kind ways did you see that come out this week, as far as guys being at their best, move on quickly?
A: You could feel it Monday when we had those guys in. You could feel it Monday. Each week in this league is its own challenge. If you don't play your best or play well against good football teams, bad results can happen.
I think our team learned coming off of that emotional Buffalo win, I didn't necessarily think we didn't have a good week of prep, but what I thought was we really needed to challenge ourselves to emotionally and physically play with unbelievable energy and enthusiasm.
I think our fans, what an atmosphere tonight. Every time we needed them to be with us on defense and make that extra stop or special teams with the huge kick return, Ryan Wright punting it three times within the 20, I feel like our crowd willed our organization coming forward after a tough loss. That is something I'll forever remember in these tough circumstances.
But we got to continue to improve and try to show up each and every week with purpose and not need to have setbacks to find our best. I think that's what we're going to need to do as the season moves forward and hopefully on into January.
Q. What was the key to the vast improvement in pass protection?
A: Well, we had a real plan, kind of knowing where we'd be at. We wanted to try to run the football. It's a tough group to run it against, not a lot of average per carry tonight. But we were able to churn out runs to then allow us to activate some play passes. We used a lot of different techniques on the edges to try to condense that rush, try to let Kirk have some clean pockets.
I will say they got the NFL sack leader over there, some really good interior rushers, timely pressures. Kirk Cousins was phenomenal tonight getting us in and out of the plays he did, standing back there and making some big-time throws. I can't say enough about the protection as well, those guys doing their jobs.
It was not easy. It's never going to be easy against that defensive structure, team or coaching staff. So I give our guys a ton of credit for making plays and just consistently finding ways to drive the football.
Q. (No microphone.)
A: That was stubborn. I was going to continue to try to find the look that we were looking for. Like great coaching staffs do on the other side, they were varying some things up. We were able to finally get kind of the look we were looking for there.
But our whole group was ready. A clean pocket. I think Kirk had three or four hitches right there. Even though it's a play pass, you still have to block the man over you, you have to block on the edges.
I thought that was one of the cleanest pockets all night, when he's able to set his feet frontside to Justin, having Adam screaming across the back.
Kirk made a great decision. What an unbelievable throw in that moment to put the extra rpms to beat that undercutting defender.
Q. Did you flip anything at the end for your pass-rush?
A: I thought Ed had some real-timely pressures that he called. It looked like he activated some kind of mugged-up looks, sent some pressure. Both times I think were successful either getting him off the spot or potentially getting the sack.
That sack to start the last drive that they had, to really knock 'em back, no timeouts. I know sometimes it can be painful in those four-minute modes, but I'm making sure they had to use their last two timeouts so there wasn't a chance for an explosive by them, then a timeout, then all of a sudden they could potentially move it.
I just have so much faith in our guys in that closer's mentality we have. Give Ed credit for the timely pressures he called in the second half. Duke Shelley stepping up, making some plays there in the red zone, our guys being able to finish it out.
Q. What was painful?
A: When we're on offense in that mode. You're going to run it three times or potentially have a safe play-action that if you get it, great, otherwise you're more than likely going to take a sack.
The key in that situation is the clock, making sure they use their timeouts so when they get the ball back after a very, very successful Ryan Wright punt, third inside the 20 of the night, great coverage by our guys, it's going to be awfully hard to go 90 plus yards 85 yards without a timeout in that situation.
Situationally not always pretty from a yardage standpoint, things like that, but our guys got the job done and mission accomplished in that scenario.
Q. Do you find yourself saying 'wow' with what Justin Jefferson can do?
A: I do. I do. He's one of absolutely the most special players I've ever been around as a player or coach. He tends to show up and be ready to go every time we put on the uniform and go out there.
He was double-teamed a lot tonight. Had some success against some of those double-team looks when he got single coverage. Kirk found him a few times. Got a great double move there to set up Adam's go-ahead touchdown.
He's a special player, means a whole heck of a lot to our offense, to our team. It was a big night for Justin. Quite frankly, I'm just so proud of the way he battles and the grit and the determination and the preparation that he's put into this.
People forget sometimes it's still only year three and he's learning so much each and every week. But the talent and the competitive drive that he has just makes him a very special player.
Q. Kirk threw the interception early. To see him settle back in and keep making plays, what do you think about him is able to move on, put in the rearview mirror and go forward?
A: I think he had a very, very good week of preparation on a short week. His ownership, I know we've talked a lot about that. You don't play like he did tonight without really starting to develop some ownership of our offense.
I think the way he played at Buffalo to kind of will us to a victory, then we all had to learn some lessons coming out of Sunday, me included. Maybe me more so than anybody. But I can tell you that Kirk played really, really well tonight.
There's really so many plays you can kind of go back to and call on, third-down plays, play-action shots, great decisions to check the ball down. Didn't allow the rush when it did get there to really affect him.
He overcomes the early adversity of the interception. That's probably a bad play call by me. Trying to do too much on a third-and-long. I'll continue to improve, always look inward. Really spend a lot time over this mini bye making sure that I am at my best when we show up ready to roll next week.
Q. (Question about overturned touchdown.)
A: I thought for the most part we were looking at a fourth and inches or it was incomplete. They did a great job communicating with me through that whole scenario. It just ended up being overturned.
I think it's one of those things that could have gone a lot of different ways. I was very happy that it went the way it did.
Q. How big was that in terms of taking control of the game?
A: Yeah, I just thought our ability to drive the football tonight. When Justin is getting doubled, there's some things going on, you have to convert some third downs. I think we ate a 15, the final number, against a team like that, that's going to come in trying to take away your best player. I knew that they would try to take 18 out of the game, especially in those situational downs.
We worked really hard and kind of prepared him for that, some unique things that we tried. But ultimately Kirk making that whole thing come to life, the protection holding up, allowing some things to develop, those critical third downs were key I thought to allowing us to get new sets of downs and generate some explosives when we could.
Q. What did this mean, have the postgame handshake with Coach Belichick?
A: This one means a whole heck of a lot just because I have so much respect for that whole organization and Coach Belichick. So many unbelievable players and coaches have gone through that organization.
In my short time there, you guys know I've talked about it, it had a monumental impact on my football journey. To see just the longevity of success playing such good football for so long, you can't say enough about Coach Belichick and what he's accomplished.
But to shake his hand, get a win on our home field in front of our home fans, that's a really good football team over there, very well-coached football team. Just really proud of our guys.
Nothing but respect and admiration for that organization over there.
Q. What does it do for you when you can answer a touchdown with a kickoff return like that and Kanai...
A: All year long I hit him at pregame meals. Is today the day? Is today the day? He's just so talented, such a special athlete. I've got so much confidence in Matt Daniels and Ben Kotwica. Our special teams units have had game-defining plays for us all season long.
I just thought come that moment for Kanai, even when it looked like maybe they were closing in on him there, he's just so explosive, to get that thing going. Then to finish that in a moment where it was a huge play for our team.
You'd like to think we would have gone on the field right there and drove for a touchdown. But to get that immediate response allowed the defense to get their cleats back on the ground and be ready to go on the next drive.
Ultimately as an offense, when we got our op, to make sure we drove the football and got points. That's three phases of our team. You have heard me talk about that a lot. Complementary football coming together at its finest.
We're going to need to win like that. We're going to need to play well like that when it matters in all three phases and win big football games against good teams.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports