Chiefs 27, Vikings 20
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Very much a disappointing locker room right now. We felt like we could come out today and compete with the defending world champs and find a way to get a win here at home and rebound didn't get off to a very good start with putting the ball on the ground there on the first play.
But thought our guys battled, went really the next 59 minutes without turning it over and tried to battle through the very developed. Did have a couple injuries and depth tested. Guys stepped up and tried to compete to the very end.
Love this team and love the way they compete and love the way these guys are itching to get back to work already and that's what this is going to be about, just continuing to find every edge we can within our football schemes but continue to coach our guys up, they will band together as tight as ever and we get an opportunity to go win a division game next week on the road. It's going to be a challenge for our team and we've got to get our minds right for that immediately.
Just wanted to give you guys and update. Justin Jefferson did sustain a hamstring injury. I'll keep you guys updated on that. Still very early. See where he's at as we move along here and kind of diagnose exactly what that injury is and what that timeline looks like.
Had other guys kind of in and out throughout the game but most of them returned, even T.J. there at the end. But just disappointed. But I'm proud of this team. Thought we had great energy. Thought they came out and competed like crazy. Got to go back to work.
Q. Kevin what did they tell you about the flag that they picked up there?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, not much. I clearly -- when the flag came out in the first place, was not surprised in that moment that that was called a flag. You know, I guess trying to figure out where and when that veered the other way. Want to be careful on this one. But that was very unfortunate, as well as you know, the scenario there where not every player on the field had their helmet on, either.
But it is what it is. We've got to overcome whatever the adversity is and we didn't do enough of that today and that's what we'll go back to work on as a group. We've got to commit to doing -- every little thing matters in a game like this in those circumstances when things may or may not go your way.
We've got to find a way to eliminate that and some of those outcomes from affecting our chances of winning the game, and would like to get that last opportunity to maybe throw one in the end zone there with the group we had out there.
Q. The helmet thing you're referring to on that same play?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: It is.
Q. You were out of timeouts pretty early in the second half. How do you think things are going in that regard in terms of mistakes that are self-inflicted that are not setting you guys up for being in position?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: As far as the timeouts go? Yeah, I challenged. I felt wholeheartedly that that was worth a challenge there based upon the evidence.
It was always going to come down to whether they deemed that initial catch as two steps and a football move. We ended up with the ball on the play, as the receiver completed the catch to the ground. But you know, they are going to rule that.
But I absolutely would challenge that again, given the circumstances and kind of what it was in that moment. At the very least, if it is ruled even an incompletion, we get the ball back.
And then we had a little bit of a personnel kind of late sub there defensively where we used a timeout to get the right personnel grouping on to try to get that short yardage stop. We ended up -- they ended up kind of going no brainer, no snap, no play, and we got the ball back.
You would love to keep all your timeouts, you absolutely would. Wish could have carried over some of those on first half that we are banging on defense there at the end but that's just how it goes sometimes.
Yeah, I really appreciated the way we were able to kind of drive the football there and make it a one-score game and then we had our ops there. You never know if it's first and goal to one.
Q. I saw you talking to the referee after that fourth down. Did you want a little extra time? Was that the conversation?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, a lot of times what happens in those moments is -- it's Sunday to Sunday sometimes whether things get pumped or reset or not.
But yeah, I thought there was some late subs going on, and we were just trying to get the right people on the field for such a critical down.
Q. On the pass to K.J. in the end zone there in the first -- what kind of explanation did you get as to what happened?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, that's really not the front side of the progression. So K.J. is trying to work to really win how the coverage kind of deployed. Justin, we kind of moved him to the backfield. Might have had a chance right there with him for converging, the right flat there, and then we just progressed pretty quickly and tried to put it on K.J. K.J. wasn't ready yet. Kind of a one-to-two-type read, reset-the-three, finish-the-four type of rhythm that might have got just a little sped up right there.
Q. What's going through your head when you start the game out and the fumble issue just seems to keep coming back?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, Josh Oliver, if you ask me one player I think based upon size, strength and just his impact on our team, he's had a huge start to his Vikings tenure here with blocking, physicality and really bringing a mindset to it.
So nobody is more crushed than Josh over that play. I just wanted to make sure he was good to go for rest of the day to be able to continue to be his normal self. We will continue to emphasize ball security. I thought there could have been a little bit more of an offhand cover there in traffic and that's what we emphasize, what we're coaching but clearly it's going to be something that even if you just have one, even on the first play of the game, you look up there at the end and you just wonder, what if, knowing the kind of rhythm we had on offense there in the first half to at least drive and potentially get points every time we had it.
Q. What was Justin's demeanor on the sideline?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: It was tough on him. He's the ultimate competitor. I just spent some time quickly with him in the locker room, and we'll get him back as soon as we possibly can. There wasn't be a better teammate in that locker room during the time. Hopefully we have him right back this week. I know he's a captain. He's done everything the right way on and off the field for us as a team. Absolutely love him and what he brings from a competitiveness standpoint and setting a standard of what we are all out for, and it will no question be something we have to work through.
But I also have a lot of confidence in our offensive unit to make sure we're right where we want to be when Justin is able to come back.
Q. Do you think Jordan is at a point where he can take on a bigger load?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, I think that whole skill group with T.J., Jordan and K.J., K.J. making some big plays, yards after catch, Brandon Powell coming in for some things, even before the injury, we wanted to get him going a little bit today and then we do like our depth, whether it's N'Keal getting elevated, Trishton, Thayer. We're lucky, we have got some guys that are here for a reason. And the beauty of having C.J. Hamm and three tight ends and multiple backs is we can reinvent ourselves whatever way we feel is the best way to try to move the ball and score points.
Q. What did you think of Jordan today?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: I thought he was outstanding. Maybe just that -- you'd love to see, maybe him play back into the defender who is interfering with him in the moment but like I said, I want to be careful. I thought Jordan was really good today.
Q. C.J. has had his hands on a few balls. Do you see him just not being able to get a tough catch or ones that he needs to pull in those moments?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: I think both C.J. and Kirk would say, a couple of those, we throw it ten times, they probably pitch-and-catch it eight times. Didn't make the play in the moment. I know those guys will make sure the next op we get will be that much cleaner.
Q. How do you think the defense did against Mahomes?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: There's a couple plays there that he's famous for, and is the standard of position for how he's able to overcome some adverse circumstances and get first downs and chunks and things like that.
But I thought for the most part, we had a good plan. I like the way we're able to get home with some rush without having to send maximum pressure guys and then the timely pressures here and there, and really, you know, in flow, called a zero there in the second half, I think it was Cam. I think we'll live with that call knowing that we have an opportunity to get him to put it up in harm's way to maybe change the game there and he just made the play.
Q. How long does it take you to get over this and move on to the next one?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: My job is to go attack this thing from this very moment forward. I'm going to remain -- I think you guys know this about me now. I'm going to remain positive through and through because I believe in this group. I believe in our coaches. I believe in this organization. Results just have not gone our way, and I believe my job is to figure out, look very closely at all of these results and continue find ways to coach this team better, deploy our personnel better, give people opportunities to maybe prove some things to us to earn more ops and then continue to drive forward. There's not going to be any questioning or doubt in my mind knowing that we've had four tough results.
But I do feel like this team is able to compete and we're going to do that every single week, and I believe in the end, we're going to find out exactly what we are through writing our story for this whole season. And I look forward to the challenge of continuing to seek becoming that team.
Q. One of your players talked about how you guys are entering a new season with division play coming. Is that the mentality you want them to have?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, we talked to them about that in the locker room already. Have a lot of respect for the teams in our division. All three of them are teams that we've got to play good football against, especially at home or going on the road, and it starts next week. Let's go hunt chasing our best performance of the season and see if we can go 1-0. Regardless of it being in the division or not, let's go 1-0 next week and do the things we're capable of to make that happen.
But no question, coming off winning this division a year ago, this team feels like, let's go take care of business in our division, which will be our challenge knowing the types of teams that we're going to be competing against all the way down to the very end.
Q. The pass interference on Harrison; that one where he just didn't get his head around?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, and you know, I've got to go back and take a look at that one because a lot of times I think when you don't get your head around as a defender, I think it becomes a pretty quick trigger there.
But I'd like to see that in real time. I know what it felt like in real time. But I've got to take a look at it. I think Harrison, we're in kind of a short yardage call right there, they get the shot over the top and it becomes, can we knock that ball out and what a huge play that would have been, flag goes down and it's 1st and 10 for the Chiefs.
Q. What went right for that execution --
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, it was really, really good execution. I know the fans didn't like me sending the punt team out there. But they were part of the -- they were part of the sell, as well. I was upset in the moment, throwing some air punches and hearing them upset; it all worked out to get the look we wanted.
You think about it, it's Johnny Mundt, Josh Oliver, C.J. Hamm, Josh Metellus and Ty Chandler, five very dependable players in a moment where it presented itself. I give Matt Daniels a lot of credit for having those guys ready for the moment. I for called it and got a big first down right there.
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