Watch Kevin O'Connell's first post-win locker room speech of 2025 season

For three quarters on Monday night, it looked like Kevin O'Connell's postgame speech in the visiting locker room was going to be a somber (or perhaps angry) one after an ugly season-opening loss. The team doesn't post those on social media.

Then J.J McCarthy flipped a switch with three fourth-quarter touchdowns and the Vikings stunned the Bears in a 27-24 comeback win at Soldier Field. And that meant we got video of O'Connell's speech, which was a celebratory one about overcoming adversity.

"The Minnesota Vikings left everything we have out on that football field," he said. "So if there was any question in your minds about this football team and dealing with adversity within this locker room, within our building, you think that invisible presence is invisible now? You put it on display for the whole world with what we did in the second half."

O'Connell announced that everybody on the roster was getting a game ball. But then he wanted to highlight several specific players.

He started out with linebacker Eric Wilson, who came up huge in his first game back with the Vikings since the 2020 season. Wilson blocked a punt and had a couple tackles on special teams, and he also took over green-dot duties at linebacker after Blake Cashman went down with a hamstring injury.

O'Connell then highlighted running backs Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones, who combined for 142 yards and a touchdown on 27 touches. "We got J Mason just leaning on people," he said. "And the beauty of our offense, even on a night where a lot of it wasn't pretty, Aaron Jones, when I need you, you're right there for me every time."

He shouted out rookie Myles Price, who had 117 return yards (68 on four punt returns) in his NFL debut. He shouted out Will Reichard, whose 59-yard field goal just before halftime was the longest of his career and tied for the longest in Soldier Field history. On defense, O'Connell highlighted newcomer Javon Hargrave, who had a pair of sacks in the fourth quarter.

And then, last but certainly not, least he turned his attention to the player who commanded all of the headlines coming out of that game. McCarthy's NFL debut had been a disaster through three quarters, but everything changed when he threw for two scores and ran for another during the Vikings' 21-0 run in the fourth.

"This feeling that we have right now doesn't happen without one other guy," O'Connell said. "Did not go the way any of us wanted. This guy, I could tell from the jump, he was poised. This guy didn't quit in me, and you always thought he would figure out."

That set off quite the celebration for a fired-up McCarthy alongside his teammates.

You can watch the full video here:

Left everything we had out on that football field. #Skol pic.twitter.com/AyhPrmKC7J
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 9, 2025

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