After losing six preseason games in the past, Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell is finally finding his groove. Part of the reason is the 2024 NFL Draft’s 10 overall pick, JJ McCarthy, who put on a fascinating show for the Minnesota Vikings fans in his debut performance. Not only did he get the monkey off the back of the Vikings HC, but he did it with a flair.

The Minnesota team tested all 3 QBs today but McCarthy got the most time on the field. However, things weren’t supposed to be that way. The Vikings HC 24 hours earlier predicted how the team would win against the Raiders, and that’s exactly what happened but in a different fashion.

“The first one of these in the preseason, thought it might come down to a kick. I told the team last night, I thought Will would kick the game-winner,” said O’Connell in the post-game presser after defeating the Raiders 24-23. Though it was just a preseason game and the Vikings beat the opposition by the width of a hair, it confirmed one thing for the team— JJ McCarthy has a huge potential that has to be unlocked.

Moreover, an astonishing fact remained how McCarthy didn’t even start the game, Sam Darnold did. In fact, the first thing he did when he came to the field was to throw an interception. However, it was long forgotten when McCarthy got the ball rolling in the third quarter. He threw two touchdowns today, the image of which would ease the Minnesota fans.

His first touchdown pass was a 45-year dime to Trishton Jackson. Witnessing the scenes of McCarthy’s preseason debut TD, even Justin Jefferson couldn’t contain himself. However, the Vikings backup QB had more tricks up his sleeve. 6:35 remained in the 3 quarter and McCarthy decided to go deep again. The O-Line did a great job of holding back the blitz.

The QB got some time, took a few steps back, and slang the ball to Trent Sherfield for a 33-yard touchdown. If McCarthy keeps this up, he and Justin Jefferson can carve a name for themselves in this season. “It was a lot of fun playing in it, you know. But there’s a lot of things that come with playing in this offense like eliminating the pre-snap penalties and just being on the same page with the offensive linemen with my cadence and all that. So, there’s a lot of work to still do and I’m excited to watch how it goes,” said McCarthy after the game that ended with a field goal from Will Reichard.

The crazy thing is how a day before, McCarthy wasn’t even slated to start the game and he happened to grab the most spotlight and beat a time like the Raiders. He threw for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and went 11-17 on his passes. In the process, he ended a curse the HC Kevin O’Connell had to carry for the past two years.

Things seem to be turning around for Kevin O’Connell

The Minnesota fans can still scream “Sköl” on top of their lungs even after Kirk Cousins left the team. This was Kevin O’Connell’s first preseason win. Though preseason games don’t matter much, it sure adds more confidence in the locker room that the Vikings can still get things done without a veteran quarterback like Cousins.

It’s been two years since O’Connell took charge of the Vikings. However, in the past two years, he’s lost 6 preseason games. In 2022, it was the Raiders who beat them in the first preseason game 26-20. Then, it was the 49ers who beat them 17-7 and then it was Denver’s turn to beat the Minnesota team 23-13.

Things were the same in 2023. Without any luck, O’Connell lost the first preseason game to the Seahawks 24-13. That disappointment was followed by the Titans getting the best of the Vikings in a 24-16 game. That didn’t end because after the Titans game, the Arizona Cardinals were the next to beat them in a slim 18-17 game.

Two years after the 2022 season, things came full circle as O’Connell beat the team that started his preseason losing streak, the Las Vegas Raiders.