00:00:16
Speaker 1: All right.
00:00:17
Speaker 2: The Minnesota Vikings have won four consecutive games. Merry Christmas, everybody. The Vikings beat the Detroit Lions today at US Bank Stadium. So many unique story lines to come out of this game. First and foremost, how about Harrison Smith? Is everybody sure Harrison Smith is retiring? After his fourteenth year? He had an interception of Jared Goff part of a game the Vikings took the ball from Detroit six times. More on that momentarily, but Harrison joins Ronde Barber as one of two players in the history of the NFL with at least thirty eight interceptions in twenty one and a half sacks. He absolutely was instrumental in the Vikings victory today. He had the first sack of the game on GoF Is everybody sure Harrison Smith is retiring? Because honestly, he hasn't played this.
00:01:04
Speaker 1: Well in a long time.
00:01:05
Speaker 3: And I guarantee you when the when the small clears and he's on his way home, he's gonna think about how much fun this game was, right, and how much he missed You know how much you miss games like this?
00:01:15
Speaker 2: Yeah?
00:01:16
Speaker 3: Uh, And that's what he's gonna miss most when he is when he is finally done. Uh, but he showed everyone today he can still play.
00:01:22
Speaker 1: Uh.
00:01:23
Speaker 3: And I think the last couple of weeks he has really stepped up in a quarterback on the defensive coach on the field, almost has put this defense in positions to succeed. And don't forget, we don't have Jonathan Gernard, we don't have Josh Mattelis. Wow, and we're out there, you know, shutting down offenses. And today with six turnovers, five sacks, I mean, wow, what a what a great day for this Vikings defense.
00:01:48
Speaker 2: And and that outside of the victory being the a topic, I mean, the Lions came into the game with eight giveaways the entire season, none in the fourth quarter and none in the fourth quarter, but absolutely psolutely the stingiest team with the gibbs in the NFL. The Vikings took it from the Lions six times today.
00:02:07
Speaker 1: That's unbelievable.
00:02:08
Speaker 3: I can't remember the last time we were in the plus six category.
00:02:12
Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's just minus fourteen went to minus eight.
00:02:15
Speaker 3: Unbelievable. Yeah, I mean that's definitely going to help out that final statistic. But fo fumble recoveries, how about Byron Murphy right interception, pass defense and a fumble recovery. Well in one day today. H's just a fabulous job by him tackling in the open field as well. There were a number of guys out there who played well. Dallas Turner showed up late in this game. Is speed definitely. I mean the Lions are nicked up. They've been nicked up. You know, they had their Trott now they had four really new defensive backs, but still, you know we're beat up to three backup offensive linemen in this game. And I think it showed a little bit on offense. I'm sure Brosmer is not happy with with how everything went. The Lions gave him a lot to look at and think about.
00:03:00
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:03:01
Speaker 3: So offensively, what a brilliant call though against a Manda man defense with Jordan Addison in that sixty one yard reverse, Wow, you know Jet Sweet.
00:03:09
Speaker 1: First was so sneaky.
00:03:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, and again it was a situation where the corner for Detroit was staring at his coverage. He wasn't looking at the handoff and that allowed Addison to get around the corner and really I think get pretty much the only explosive play for the offense for the entire night.
00:03:26
Speaker 2: Well, we talked about Harrison Smith passing Rondez Barber. There was a records cavalcade that started to fall today and by the way, this was the penultimate game of the season. Green Bay next. But Justin Jefferson had thirty receiving yards. All right, that is not Jefferson esque as we go through the first six years of his career. However, it was enough to pass Randy Moss for the most receiving yards of anybody through their first six seasons in the history of the NFL. Justin Jefferson got that accolade.
00:03:58
Speaker 3: Today, Yeah, he did. And with the way this season's gone and the injuries last year, it just tells you how good he was his first four years in this league. And you know he like he's made him a priority. He's i believe, still the highest paid player on this team. And they're gonna have to figure out this quarterback situation in the offseason. I'm sure JJ McCarthy will be part of it, but there's gonna be more to it, I think, because you have such a valuable asset of guy. Again, he's got more yards receiving than any receiver in the first six seasons. I mean, you have to be able to utilize that weapon. We just can't right now. And that's gonna be a lot of what this offseason.
00:04:40
Speaker 1: Is all about.
00:04:41
Speaker 2: All right, Well, riiker for some reason snubbed for the Pro Ball. I didn't know about that till today. I should have known about it. He got beat by Brandon Aubrey, a guy from Dallas. He out kicked on Sunday Night Football for everybody to see a couple of Sundays ago. Whatever, Riikert hit one from fifty six, hit another from fifty two. Does that mean he passed Blair Walsh and that twenty twelve season for the most fifty yard makes in a single season of any Vikings kicker ever. Will Reikert he's a machine. He's never missed an extra point for two years.
00:05:13
Speaker 3: Right, and for a franchise, let's face that we've struggled with kickers. I mean you know, I mean I was around here in ninety eight. Yeah, we've been around for a long time.
00:05:22
Speaker 2: Now, walshon that's Seattle game exactly.
00:05:25
Speaker 3: That's all you So we've been We've been checkered by that position. But we've got to figured out Rykert it's been phenomenal from fifty yards plus two, It's just incredible. Yeah, how you know that means you only have to get the ball to about the forty yard line pile before you know, without what you can put points on the ball. So, I mean, it's an amazing offensive advantage that you know that. It's glad.
00:05:49
Speaker 2: I'm so glad he's gonna be around for the next few years. I got another one for you, Blake Cashman. So he has he has ten games this year, I believe nine or ten with at least ten tackles, So that passes Chad Greenway for the most most games with at least ten tackles in a single season. I mean, it's like this teams eight and eight records are falling.
00:06:09
Speaker 3: Left and right, right, you're absolutely right, but regardless of what they how things are going on offensively. It reminds me so much of like of the Raiders game a year ago, when you know, we put up a field goal, but that's all we needed, right, like, the defense responded and hospital ball exactly right. He came back for a player too, and then he was back out. And this year, as you know, with J. J. McCarthy being on and off the field, you know, the hairline fracture. He's out. Brosmers in the defense has just absolutely stepped up when we've had issues on offense. They've managed to do it for two weeks in a row now time, and you know, hat tip to them and that entire it's.
00:06:52
Speaker 1: One of the best.
00:06:53
Speaker 3: And that's the thing is that when they're dialed in like they are and you give them this crowd noise here, they're almost unstoppable, really almost unstoppable. And and you know, and Floras, he doesn't matter who's in again, we're missing Jonathan Gernard, you know, and Josh Mattellis and we're still out there getting six turnovers in the game. I mean, come on.
00:07:10
Speaker 2: Excellent work by defensive coordinator Brian Flora. Excellent work by head coach Kevin O'Connell, who had this to say after the Vikings beat the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day.
00:07:20
Speaker 4: All right, first and foremost, just want to complement our fans. I thought, what an unbelievable atmosphere in the building tonight. Divisional wins in December are our you know, growth, no matter how you get them, no matter what it takes to win the game. And you know, to beat a really good football team like that at home and get our fourth in a row. I'm just really proud of the collective team effort that it took. The number one priority going into the game was to win the turnover margin, and a pretty you know, phenomenal historical kind of effort by our defense clearly led the way.
00:07:57
Speaker 1: Seemed like it was going to be a.
00:07:58
Speaker 4: Game where you know, we were we were going to win with special teams in defense, protect the football and and try to try to be as physical physical as we could in the run game down a couple of tackles, and and obviously I thought Max, uh you know, for for you know, just being really his second second start just running the show. It wasn't you know, it wasn't kind of our standard in the past game. But sometimes depending on how your team plays collectively as a group.
00:08:25
Speaker 1: Uh you know, I I've I've learned a.
00:08:27
Speaker 4: Lot as as a head coach of do whatever it takes to win each and every opportunity that you get. And I thought the Jordan Addison play was huge to get us get us a little breathing room there. Great execution by the guys, and and phenomenal by Jordan to finish that thing with a touchdown. But tonight was about our defense and I and I do think Will record again gave him a game ball, three field goals, including two fifty plus, which is a you know, a Vikings record team record for most in the season.
00:08:55
Speaker 1: He's been so clutch all year long.
00:08:58
Speaker 4: And uh, you know, a challenge of team, you know about a month ago that let's just go one and know every week and try to get ourselves back above five hundred with whatever it takes in that sixty minutes each and every week We've won, you know, a variety of different ways. But our defense was phenomenal, Flow, his staff, all of our players, Harrison Smith was phenomenal, Blake Cashman, Gink Dallas Turner. Just thinking about a lot of these guys, you know, Red and e Will that you know, I'm just proud of. I think these guys have learned, you know, just the power of what they've built within our building culturally to be able to be where we were and now to have a chance to go one, to know what next week, to finish above five hundred in what's been a difficult season, but we've all learned a lot about ourselves. We've learned a lot about you know what, you know, what matters in this game, but well beyond just playing football. And I'm just really proud of our group and our staff. And we'll rest up here, try to get healthy at some spots and you know, see if we can get another divisional win against a really good team next week. Injury update wise, Miles Price, you know, on that first return of the day, did get an ankle and did not return. He'll be evaluated to see what that looks like. And then Elijah Williams also had an ankle, did not return. Aaron Jones you know, had a little hip that he was able to come back in the game, and Theo Jackson had a little ankle there late and was able to come back in the game.
00:10:29
Speaker 5: Kevin, You've talked a lot about Harrison Smith over the years. Yeah, what do you think and feeling as you're watching.
00:10:33
Speaker 4: Him with that performance today, just not surprise in any way, shape or form. I think part of you know, these last few weeks and I credit flow just you know, really turning a lot over even more so Harry's you know, quarterback, and a lot of things for us defensively, but in these games, especially against a divisional opponent, you know, we we obviously know each other well, they know a lot, They've had a lot of reps against us. So we wanted to be able to once again give Harrison the ability to kind of, you know, win the pre snap in many ways. And then what what I think he did tonight was win the post snap in many ways just with his ability to get after the quarterback, you know, with the sack, and then he had a couple of TFLs an interception, just phenomenal. And his leadership throughout this stretch, you know, has also been something that you know, I'll remember, you know him amongst a lot of other guys, justin Jefferson, Brian O'Neill, c j Ham, Blake Cashman, really all of our captains. But this team's made of some some really some really great stuff.
00:11:37
Speaker 6: Kevin Harrison said that a few weeks ago around there that the defense just started.
00:11:41
Speaker 1: Being a little more aggressive. Play call or just play style whatever.
00:11:45
Speaker 4: What prompted that, Well, I just think you know what, you know, talking to Flow and and in our dialogue it was, hey, let's just make sure we're being you know, as aggressive as possible, and that's how he is by nature. But then also the element of Harrison being able to, you know, have a role in you know, what we ultimately play when the ball gets snapped, and and he's got an unbelievable feel of the system. He's got an unbelievable feel of what Flow and Deronte and Swerve and the staff really want to do. And then he's really out there playing a game within the game. And it's been spectacular to watch. It's been awesome from my perspective to watch what he's able to do at this point in his career mentally and then physically making a lot of the plays he's making as well.
00:12:30
Speaker 1: But you know, you learn about each and every year.
00:12:32
Speaker 4: Teams are different, you know, and and you learn that you might have to win different ways, challenge the special teams to last night, hey, let's book that as a win tonight or tonight, you know, for tomorrow. And I thought between Will Ryan and some of the coverage units against some good returning groups, I thought we were able to do that defensively, clearly winning the turnover battles six nothing, and then offensively it's you know, it's not gonna be one that's gonna, you know, go on one of my shelves at home. But that's kind of what being the head coach is all about sometimes. And I gotta continue to find ways to try to throw the football and generate explosives. But good front, you know, we were we were trying to block them as best we could, with some some guys stepping in some spots, and Max just I thought, did a very nice job of protecting the football and understanding what it was going to take to win the game and starting there and and then uh, you know, we were able to make some plays in the run game to kind of capitalize on some short fields, like the physicality of that group selling out up front, and and uh, you know, it's great to have Toyy Chandler back as well, you know, to mix in there with Aaron.
00:13:37
Speaker 2: If you catch the moment with Harrison and getting showing out the Jumbo tron.
00:13:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, you think that it's so well deserved.
00:13:44
Speaker 4: And you know, I know we've got the greatest fans in the world, and and I know our players feel that our players feel you know, we feel a connection with our fans just because of knowing how lucky and fortunate we are to have them and and obviously this beautiful facility we play in, uh, the environment that that our fans build, the people that put on our game presentation, it's it's it's unique.
00:14:08
Speaker 1: It's one of one.
00:14:09
Speaker 4: And I always love those moments when our players, you know, can get can get really you know, welcomed and and just kind of positively received by our fans. There when when when we're kind of in a good position in the football game. But I just you know, Harrison Smith is that was that was a fun one to be able to end the kind of post game, you know, bringing him up in front of the team.
00:14:33
Speaker 5: What made that the right time for the Jenna speak.
00:14:36
Speaker 4: Yeah, I was kind of you know, I knew we would need it at some point and just wanted to try to get the game to a place with the clock where I knew they would have to start playing a little bit maybe differently. You know, there was a lot of things they were trying to do to take away justin no matter what, and not give them anything easy. Really same with Jordan for that matter, and and you know we're down TJ and trying to you know, piece together some things. But I wanted to save that call for a moment where I thought we could get a pretty good look for the play and ended up being great execution by the guys and and phenomenal finished by Jordan.
00:15:10
Speaker 1: That that followed a time out right there? What what was kind of sequenced in the MAXs and that, like what was going on?
00:15:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, we uh, you know, we you know, don't know whether there was some confusion there, but we didn't necessarily line up the right way, and and I didn't want to risk a procedure penalty there as things were kind of weighing down and what ultimately what would have been the play to follow if we did give up five yards there?
00:15:32
Speaker 1: So I thought it was a big moment.
00:15:33
Speaker 4: To make sure we we got settled and made sure we got that playoff.
00:15:38
Speaker 5: Watching Harrison play at thirty six, can you even envision him coming back next year?
00:15:43
Speaker 4: I uh, you know, I've been nudge nudge and kind of you know, catching them picking some spots to just keep on saying. Man, you're I know, you're having a lot of fun doing it. So yeah, he's he's remarkable. He's one of my absolute all time favorites.
00:15:58
Speaker 1: Okay, I know it's only in a couple of days we had at JJ, But do you have any more clarity on what I don't.
00:16:02
Speaker 4: He's doing well, He's doing well, you know, with the extra time until next week. Well, we'll see if it's all gonna come down to just grip strength and his ability to grip the football and throw it. And you know, would obviously love to have him get one more opportunity for this year. But at the same time, you know, I you know, Max is clearly learning what it takes to win games, and you got to play it differently, maybe depending on the night and how it's going. But no, I'm you know, I look forward to kind of seeing how JJ progresses here early in the week and we'll see if we can have him next week.
00:16:38
Speaker 5: What do you feel like it says about this team to get back to a position where you can potentially get over five hundred next week?
00:16:44
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, you know, I believe, you know, I talked to him in the morning after we're four and eight and just said, you know, I know, I believe in this group. I believe that we can find a way to win a game each week. And there's gonna be challenges ahead, but the biggest challenge I felt like would be between between between our ears, you know, as a team, and not letting it go to a place where these guys lose sight of what they've built here, lose sight of why they love playing this game, competing and most importantly doing it together. And we've had some phenomenal practices. We've had uh you know, total uh you know, total conviction to to prepare and go try to win a game, and the energy has been great. I think our leadership deserves a ton of credit. I think what the players are built within that locker room and and and ultimately what I think is December wins, December divisional wins. You know, you can you can really look inward and say we're building something. And even though we're not gonna, you know, have a chance to play in the postseason this year, I think there's a lot that can be pulled from this stretch of games that we can build upon.
00:17:54
Speaker 2: We'll hear from Max Brosmer shortly. JJ McCarthy with a finger problem from that Giants game, did not play today. Vikings win twenty three ten. Brozman nine of sixteen fifty one yards still has yet to generate a touchdown. He started two times. I think today was the sixth game he's played with two starts. Didn't throw any picks, so that was good. But we're gonna hear from Brozemer momentarily. He managed it to.
00:18:18
Speaker 1: The best of his ability.
00:18:19
Speaker 3: He didn't regardless, it's a short week, right, I mean, he had to come in and try to figure out this offense and get himself back in a rhythm on a short week. Didn't happen. You could just tell he's getting to the top of his drop. Receivers were not quite in their break. So it was the timing of Max Brozmer in this offense that was off forcing him to pull the ball down, try to you know, try to make something out of nothing. But with Aiden Hutchinson and you know, and Muhammad on the other side, I mean, they got some animals, they got some speed on the edge, and he just really wasn't able to do that. But the running game in a sneaky way, yep, you know, I wouldn't say saved us, but allowed us to at least move the chains. Ty Chandler back. I mean, we haven't this. We haven't seen ty Chandler in a long long time. He looked good today, so hopefully you know he can be part of the mix going forward because I know Aaron Jones is beat up. He and he kept coming back in and coming back in. So a tip of the cat Aaron into to Aaron Jones because he gutted it out today.
00:19:17
Speaker 2: Well, the Vikings ran for one hundred and fifty eight yards a week after the Pittsburgh Steelers gave the blueprint. Minnesota goes for one fifty eight, including a sixty five yard touchdown run by Jordan Addison. Let's hear from quarterback Max Brosmer.
00:19:29
Speaker 5: Max, what was it that they were doing? It was making it tough on you guys today.
00:19:34
Speaker 6: I mean NFL defense number one is tough in general. I think that you know, they post physicality, schematics wise, they put stuff on tape that you know wasn't a big part of their operation defensively, and a pretty short week two, so you know, props him on that getting us some tough situations and you know, we got to do better in some some scenarios and offense and you know, making sure we're a little more efficient early and communicating better on my end. And but you know, a wins a win, and the guys they was side of the ball. Help got a lot today and that's the definition of complementary football today is what the defense special teams did for us today. Maxwell, was your perspective on the jet sweep and stay again the jet sweep?
00:20:10
Speaker 2: Just what was your perspective on it?
00:20:11
Speaker 6: Yeah, I absolutely love the call. You know, the it took us a couple of times to get it right. You know, we I could have communicated better in the huddle and make sure we got to play off the first time and the second one did did a great job up front. You know, we had kind of been setting it up all game and you know, fortunately hit for us big time. And once ja I picked those knees up, I knew it was gone and did a great job. It's cool to to kind of be from behind and watching that view of j hitting full speed. I was like twenty two miles an hour or something like that, So pretty cool.
00:20:39
Speaker 2: Max.
00:20:40
Speaker 7: Jordan talked about how you guys had run that in practice and it was successful too. So when when that play call comes in and you kind of know the potential for for what it can do, what kind of goes through your mind there?
00:20:52
Speaker 6: I mean personally it you know, for all of us just one on one and mentally speaking, it's just doing doing your part of the job. And you know, if the old line doesn't execute up front, the player doesn't work. If Speedy doesn't get a good block in the backside, it doesn't work. And Ja did a great job tim.
00:21:07
Speaker 1: It it up.
00:21:09
Speaker 6: We practiced probably that maybe one time this week, and you know, maybe twice. I'm not sure we got two times. And you know, practice throughout short weeks, it's not it's not true like fol speed practice. And so for him to build execute that and a really you know, he did a really good job with that execution. And again, everyone did their job and that's why the play was successful. And that's the story of offensive football is making sure that everyone's doing their jobs as best they can and usually that leads to a successful play for us.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: Thanks, I know this one's still fresh. How do you what if any takeaways? Do you have your first two NFL starts and what.
00:21:44
Speaker 6: Do you ffin at? Lots of learning, man, lots of learning NFL. NFL football is hard, and people say it a lot. NFL ball was fun too, and that's not me saying I don't enjoy this. My favorite part is the process and and the people around the team, in the around the facility. That's what makes plan for the Vikings fun. And to have earned those opportunities and have the guys in the huddle and full support throughout the ups and the downs of of you know, our team success and some really rough patches too this year. It's it's a blessing to be in the huddle and I'm.
00:22:16
Speaker 1: Grateful for it.
00:22:17
Speaker 6: And I take every single rep on the field and uh, you know, rep as a game day and I continue to build, and you know, to have the guys around, like I said, that really support that process.
00:22:28
Speaker 1: Is a lot of fun.
00:22:30
Speaker 6: And I just appreciate how much they communicate back to and I love to learn, I love to grow, and the guys are always giving me stuff how I can how I can do better, which is a lot of fun.
00:22:39
Speaker 1: Max.
00:22:39
Speaker 5: What can you say about Aaron Jones? Obviously gotten it out over the last couple of weeks through symmetries.
00:22:44
Speaker 6: Yeah, he's a tough son of a gun. Absolutely incredible leader for our football team. Incredible dude too, like probably one of my favorite guys in the team, and just how he handles himself on a daily basis and He's always always working his butt off, whether it's a walk through and practice antially or a foal speed practice day. He's there's never a play off for him. And obviously his you know, he's been around the game for a bit and he's seen a lot of offensive football and that that helps for a young quarterback, you know, under under the center. So to have him back there's a lot of fun you know, guys like c J. Ham as well, having him back there, that's a that's a pretty cool deal to have back there. And not to mention what Talle Chandler. Ty Chandler does today too. I mean he's one of the hardest runners I've ever seen in my life. We got a good crew back there.
00:23:28
Speaker 2: Actually mentioned the defense. Just what has it been like to share a locker room Harrison Smith this season?
00:23:34
Speaker 6: I like how kind of open he is, just just with talking about kind of his story, his career, the small you know chick chat in the locker room is it's a fun part of being in there with him, and you know, he's his view on football is really cool from a you know, a quarterbacks perspective, how he sees offensive football and any any any time that I get with him, whether it's fifteen seconds or ten minutes, where I get talked about football with him and stuff that I don't take for granted. And I'm really intentional about talking with him about that, and I'm very grateful to have him there, and I'm grateful that he's very open to talk about football and just his career in general, because NFL careers are no joke and he's had an outstanding one so far, and I'm excited to see him, you know, come out next weekend.
00:24:16
Speaker 2: Okay, So the Lions have been put in the last place in the NFC North, they've been bounced from the playoffs, and the Green Bay Packers have made the playoffs because of the Vikings victory today. But it's not exactly how we drew it up into the season. The Vikings and Lions won a combined twenty nine games last year and lost to combined five and now they're both eight and eight. We get Green Bay next, that'll be the that'll be the final regular season game. And although it's been a very middling season, eight and eight, with a lot of different injuries and a million offensive line combinations, today because of Harrison Smith and what they did at that Lions offense. Harrison Smith, he made his two hundred and second career start today, third most history of the Vikings. He's played two hundred and six or seven games. He told Ben Lieber after the game, this is one of the best defensive performances he's ever been part of. That game from Harrison Smith, I'll never forget today.
00:25:09
Speaker 3: And he's played on some great Zimmer defenses as well. I mean, you got to think about the years that he's been here and the guys that he's played with, and you know, I just you know the feeling when you're just you just you're dialed in and you're anticipating. Like the interception he had where he stepped in front of Amena Saint Brown, he knew, he watches film, he put the time in, he knew exactly what the Lions were going to do. As soon as he saw the playfake, he knew what they were doing, and he beat Domina out of that spot. So for a guy who mentally has seen this play one hundred times in his head throughout the week, he's done it before in his career, to do it one more time, Paul, Yeah, it just it's like it's just one of those things where I can still do it, I can still get it done. It makes you, you know, makes you emotional just thinking about it.
00:25:58
Speaker 1: I know.
00:25:59
Speaker 2: Merry Christmas, brother here job today, Yes, p versus Jumpaul Allen. That's the Vikings Postgame Report powered by Looman. It was powered by loomen and stay here at Vikings dot com for all of the recaps and interviews and all that kind of stuff, including between the lines with Tatum Everett and Ben Lieber and all of the pregame festivities up to the final game of the season against the Green Bay Packers in a week and change at US Bank Stadium. Thank you very much for listening to the Vikings Postgame Report. Merry Christmas to everybody.
Speaker 1: All right.
00:00:17
Speaker 2: The Minnesota Vikings have won four consecutive games. Merry Christmas, everybody. The Vikings beat the Detroit Lions today at US Bank Stadium. So many unique story lines to come out of this game. First and foremost, how about Harrison Smith? Is everybody sure Harrison Smith is retiring? After his fourteenth year? He had an interception of Jared Goff part of a game the Vikings took the ball from Detroit six times. More on that momentarily, but Harrison joins Ronde Barber as one of two players in the history of the NFL with at least thirty eight interceptions in twenty one and a half sacks. He absolutely was instrumental in the Vikings victory today. He had the first sack of the game on GoF Is everybody sure Harrison Smith is retiring? Because honestly, he hasn't played this.
00:01:04
Speaker 1: Well in a long time.
00:01:05
Speaker 3: And I guarantee you when the when the small clears and he's on his way home, he's gonna think about how much fun this game was, right, and how much he missed You know how much you miss games like this?
00:01:15
Speaker 2: Yeah?
00:01:16
Speaker 3: Uh, And that's what he's gonna miss most when he is when he is finally done. Uh, but he showed everyone today he can still play.
00:01:22
Speaker 1: Uh.
00:01:23
Speaker 3: And I think the last couple of weeks he has really stepped up in a quarterback on the defensive coach on the field, almost has put this defense in positions to succeed. And don't forget, we don't have Jonathan Gernard, we don't have Josh Mattelis. Wow, and we're out there, you know, shutting down offenses. And today with six turnovers, five sacks, I mean, wow, what a what a great day for this Vikings defense.
00:01:48
Speaker 2: And and that outside of the victory being the a topic, I mean, the Lions came into the game with eight giveaways the entire season, none in the fourth quarter and none in the fourth quarter, but absolutely psolutely the stingiest team with the gibbs in the NFL. The Vikings took it from the Lions six times today.
00:02:07
Speaker 1: That's unbelievable.
00:02:08
Speaker 3: I can't remember the last time we were in the plus six category.
00:02:12
Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's just minus fourteen went to minus eight.
00:02:15
Speaker 3: Unbelievable. Yeah, I mean that's definitely going to help out that final statistic. But fo fumble recoveries, how about Byron Murphy right interception, pass defense and a fumble recovery. Well in one day today. H's just a fabulous job by him tackling in the open field as well. There were a number of guys out there who played well. Dallas Turner showed up late in this game. Is speed definitely. I mean the Lions are nicked up. They've been nicked up. You know, they had their Trott now they had four really new defensive backs, but still, you know we're beat up to three backup offensive linemen in this game. And I think it showed a little bit on offense. I'm sure Brosmer is not happy with with how everything went. The Lions gave him a lot to look at and think about.
00:03:00
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:03:01
Speaker 3: So offensively, what a brilliant call though against a Manda man defense with Jordan Addison in that sixty one yard reverse, Wow, you know Jet Sweet.
00:03:09
Speaker 1: First was so sneaky.
00:03:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, and again it was a situation where the corner for Detroit was staring at his coverage. He wasn't looking at the handoff and that allowed Addison to get around the corner and really I think get pretty much the only explosive play for the offense for the entire night.
00:03:26
Speaker 2: Well, we talked about Harrison Smith passing Rondez Barber. There was a records cavalcade that started to fall today and by the way, this was the penultimate game of the season. Green Bay next. But Justin Jefferson had thirty receiving yards. All right, that is not Jefferson esque as we go through the first six years of his career. However, it was enough to pass Randy Moss for the most receiving yards of anybody through their first six seasons in the history of the NFL. Justin Jefferson got that accolade.
00:03:58
Speaker 3: Today, Yeah, he did. And with the way this season's gone and the injuries last year, it just tells you how good he was his first four years in this league. And you know he like he's made him a priority. He's i believe, still the highest paid player on this team. And they're gonna have to figure out this quarterback situation in the offseason. I'm sure JJ McCarthy will be part of it, but there's gonna be more to it, I think, because you have such a valuable asset of guy. Again, he's got more yards receiving than any receiver in the first six seasons. I mean, you have to be able to utilize that weapon. We just can't right now. And that's gonna be a lot of what this offseason.
00:04:40
Speaker 1: Is all about.
00:04:41
Speaker 2: All right, Well, riiker for some reason snubbed for the Pro Ball. I didn't know about that till today. I should have known about it. He got beat by Brandon Aubrey, a guy from Dallas. He out kicked on Sunday Night Football for everybody to see a couple of Sundays ago. Whatever, Riikert hit one from fifty six, hit another from fifty two. Does that mean he passed Blair Walsh and that twenty twelve season for the most fifty yard makes in a single season of any Vikings kicker ever. Will Reikert he's a machine. He's never missed an extra point for two years.
00:05:13
Speaker 3: Right, and for a franchise, let's face that we've struggled with kickers. I mean you know, I mean I was around here in ninety eight. Yeah, we've been around for a long time.
00:05:22
Speaker 2: Now, walshon that's Seattle game exactly.
00:05:25
Speaker 3: That's all you So we've been We've been checkered by that position. But we've got to figured out Rykert it's been phenomenal from fifty yards plus two, It's just incredible. Yeah, how you know that means you only have to get the ball to about the forty yard line pile before you know, without what you can put points on the ball. So, I mean, it's an amazing offensive advantage that you know that. It's glad.
00:05:49
Speaker 2: I'm so glad he's gonna be around for the next few years. I got another one for you, Blake Cashman. So he has he has ten games this year, I believe nine or ten with at least ten tackles, So that passes Chad Greenway for the most most games with at least ten tackles in a single season. I mean, it's like this teams eight and eight records are falling.
00:06:09
Speaker 3: Left and right, right, you're absolutely right, but regardless of what they how things are going on offensively. It reminds me so much of like of the Raiders game a year ago, when you know, we put up a field goal, but that's all we needed, right, like, the defense responded and hospital ball exactly right. He came back for a player too, and then he was back out. And this year, as you know, with J. J. McCarthy being on and off the field, you know, the hairline fracture. He's out. Brosmers in the defense has just absolutely stepped up when we've had issues on offense. They've managed to do it for two weeks in a row now time, and you know, hat tip to them and that entire it's.
00:06:52
Speaker 1: One of the best.
00:06:53
Speaker 3: And that's the thing is that when they're dialed in like they are and you give them this crowd noise here, they're almost unstoppable, really almost unstoppable. And and you know, and Floras, he doesn't matter who's in again, we're missing Jonathan Gernard, you know, and Josh Mattellis and we're still out there getting six turnovers in the game. I mean, come on.
00:07:10
Speaker 2: Excellent work by defensive coordinator Brian Flora. Excellent work by head coach Kevin O'Connell, who had this to say after the Vikings beat the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day.
00:07:20
Speaker 4: All right, first and foremost, just want to complement our fans. I thought, what an unbelievable atmosphere in the building tonight. Divisional wins in December are our you know, growth, no matter how you get them, no matter what it takes to win the game. And you know, to beat a really good football team like that at home and get our fourth in a row. I'm just really proud of the collective team effort that it took. The number one priority going into the game was to win the turnover margin, and a pretty you know, phenomenal historical kind of effort by our defense clearly led the way.
00:07:57
Speaker 1: Seemed like it was going to be a.
00:07:58
Speaker 4: Game where you know, we were we were going to win with special teams in defense, protect the football and and try to try to be as physical physical as we could in the run game down a couple of tackles, and and obviously I thought Max, uh you know, for for you know, just being really his second second start just running the show. It wasn't you know, it wasn't kind of our standard in the past game. But sometimes depending on how your team plays collectively as a group.
00:08:25
Speaker 1: Uh you know, I I've I've learned a.
00:08:27
Speaker 4: Lot as as a head coach of do whatever it takes to win each and every opportunity that you get. And I thought the Jordan Addison play was huge to get us get us a little breathing room there. Great execution by the guys, and and phenomenal by Jordan to finish that thing with a touchdown. But tonight was about our defense and I and I do think Will record again gave him a game ball, three field goals, including two fifty plus, which is a you know, a Vikings record team record for most in the season.
00:08:55
Speaker 1: He's been so clutch all year long.
00:08:58
Speaker 4: And uh, you know, a challenge of team, you know about a month ago that let's just go one and know every week and try to get ourselves back above five hundred with whatever it takes in that sixty minutes each and every week We've won, you know, a variety of different ways. But our defense was phenomenal, Flow, his staff, all of our players, Harrison Smith was phenomenal, Blake Cashman, Gink Dallas Turner. Just thinking about a lot of these guys, you know, Red and e Will that you know, I'm just proud of. I think these guys have learned, you know, just the power of what they've built within our building culturally to be able to be where we were and now to have a chance to go one, to know what next week, to finish above five hundred in what's been a difficult season, but we've all learned a lot about ourselves. We've learned a lot about you know what, you know, what matters in this game, but well beyond just playing football. And I'm just really proud of our group and our staff. And we'll rest up here, try to get healthy at some spots and you know, see if we can get another divisional win against a really good team next week. Injury update wise, Miles Price, you know, on that first return of the day, did get an ankle and did not return. He'll be evaluated to see what that looks like. And then Elijah Williams also had an ankle, did not return. Aaron Jones you know, had a little hip that he was able to come back in the game, and Theo Jackson had a little ankle there late and was able to come back in the game.
00:10:29
Speaker 5: Kevin, You've talked a lot about Harrison Smith over the years. Yeah, what do you think and feeling as you're watching.
00:10:33
Speaker 4: Him with that performance today, just not surprise in any way, shape or form. I think part of you know, these last few weeks and I credit flow just you know, really turning a lot over even more so Harry's you know, quarterback, and a lot of things for us defensively, but in these games, especially against a divisional opponent, you know, we we obviously know each other well, they know a lot, They've had a lot of reps against us. So we wanted to be able to once again give Harrison the ability to kind of, you know, win the pre snap in many ways. And then what what I think he did tonight was win the post snap in many ways just with his ability to get after the quarterback, you know, with the sack, and then he had a couple of TFLs an interception, just phenomenal. And his leadership throughout this stretch, you know, has also been something that you know, I'll remember, you know him amongst a lot of other guys, justin Jefferson, Brian O'Neill, c j Ham, Blake Cashman, really all of our captains. But this team's made of some some really some really great stuff.
00:11:37
Speaker 6: Kevin Harrison said that a few weeks ago around there that the defense just started.
00:11:41
Speaker 1: Being a little more aggressive. Play call or just play style whatever.
00:11:45
Speaker 4: What prompted that, Well, I just think you know what, you know, talking to Flow and and in our dialogue it was, hey, let's just make sure we're being you know, as aggressive as possible, and that's how he is by nature. But then also the element of Harrison being able to, you know, have a role in you know, what we ultimately play when the ball gets snapped, and and he's got an unbelievable feel of the system. He's got an unbelievable feel of what Flow and Deronte and Swerve and the staff really want to do. And then he's really out there playing a game within the game. And it's been spectacular to watch. It's been awesome from my perspective to watch what he's able to do at this point in his career mentally and then physically making a lot of the plays he's making as well.
00:12:30
Speaker 1: But you know, you learn about each and every year.
00:12:32
Speaker 4: Teams are different, you know, and and you learn that you might have to win different ways, challenge the special teams to last night, hey, let's book that as a win tonight or tonight, you know, for tomorrow. And I thought between Will Ryan and some of the coverage units against some good returning groups, I thought we were able to do that defensively, clearly winning the turnover battles six nothing, and then offensively it's you know, it's not gonna be one that's gonna, you know, go on one of my shelves at home. But that's kind of what being the head coach is all about sometimes. And I gotta continue to find ways to try to throw the football and generate explosives. But good front, you know, we were we were trying to block them as best we could, with some some guys stepping in some spots, and Max just I thought, did a very nice job of protecting the football and understanding what it was going to take to win the game and starting there and and then uh, you know, we were able to make some plays in the run game to kind of capitalize on some short fields, like the physicality of that group selling out up front, and and uh, you know, it's great to have Toyy Chandler back as well, you know, to mix in there with Aaron.
00:13:37
Speaker 2: If you catch the moment with Harrison and getting showing out the Jumbo tron.
00:13:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, you think that it's so well deserved.
00:13:44
Speaker 4: And you know, I know we've got the greatest fans in the world, and and I know our players feel that our players feel you know, we feel a connection with our fans just because of knowing how lucky and fortunate we are to have them and and obviously this beautiful facility we play in, uh, the environment that that our fans build, the people that put on our game presentation, it's it's it's unique.
00:14:08
Speaker 1: It's one of one.
00:14:09
Speaker 4: And I always love those moments when our players, you know, can get can get really you know, welcomed and and just kind of positively received by our fans. There when when when we're kind of in a good position in the football game. But I just you know, Harrison Smith is that was that was a fun one to be able to end the kind of post game, you know, bringing him up in front of the team.
00:14:33
Speaker 5: What made that the right time for the Jenna speak.
00:14:36
Speaker 4: Yeah, I was kind of you know, I knew we would need it at some point and just wanted to try to get the game to a place with the clock where I knew they would have to start playing a little bit maybe differently. You know, there was a lot of things they were trying to do to take away justin no matter what, and not give them anything easy. Really same with Jordan for that matter, and and you know we're down TJ and trying to you know, piece together some things. But I wanted to save that call for a moment where I thought we could get a pretty good look for the play and ended up being great execution by the guys and and phenomenal finished by Jordan.
00:15:10
Speaker 1: That that followed a time out right there? What what was kind of sequenced in the MAXs and that, like what was going on?
00:15:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, we uh, you know, we you know, don't know whether there was some confusion there, but we didn't necessarily line up the right way, and and I didn't want to risk a procedure penalty there as things were kind of weighing down and what ultimately what would have been the play to follow if we did give up five yards there?
00:15:32
Speaker 1: So I thought it was a big moment.
00:15:33
Speaker 4: To make sure we we got settled and made sure we got that playoff.
00:15:38
Speaker 5: Watching Harrison play at thirty six, can you even envision him coming back next year?
00:15:43
Speaker 4: I uh, you know, I've been nudge nudge and kind of you know, catching them picking some spots to just keep on saying. Man, you're I know, you're having a lot of fun doing it. So yeah, he's he's remarkable. He's one of my absolute all time favorites.
00:15:58
Speaker 1: Okay, I know it's only in a couple of days we had at JJ, But do you have any more clarity on what I don't.
00:16:02
Speaker 4: He's doing well, He's doing well, you know, with the extra time until next week. Well, we'll see if it's all gonna come down to just grip strength and his ability to grip the football and throw it. And you know, would obviously love to have him get one more opportunity for this year. But at the same time, you know, I you know, Max is clearly learning what it takes to win games, and you got to play it differently, maybe depending on the night and how it's going. But no, I'm you know, I look forward to kind of seeing how JJ progresses here early in the week and we'll see if we can have him next week.
00:16:38
Speaker 5: What do you feel like it says about this team to get back to a position where you can potentially get over five hundred next week?
00:16:44
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, you know, I believe, you know, I talked to him in the morning after we're four and eight and just said, you know, I know, I believe in this group. I believe that we can find a way to win a game each week. And there's gonna be challenges ahead, but the biggest challenge I felt like would be between between between our ears, you know, as a team, and not letting it go to a place where these guys lose sight of what they've built here, lose sight of why they love playing this game, competing and most importantly doing it together. And we've had some phenomenal practices. We've had uh you know, total uh you know, total conviction to to prepare and go try to win a game, and the energy has been great. I think our leadership deserves a ton of credit. I think what the players are built within that locker room and and and ultimately what I think is December wins, December divisional wins. You know, you can you can really look inward and say we're building something. And even though we're not gonna, you know, have a chance to play in the postseason this year, I think there's a lot that can be pulled from this stretch of games that we can build upon.
00:17:54
Speaker 2: We'll hear from Max Brosmer shortly. JJ McCarthy with a finger problem from that Giants game, did not play today. Vikings win twenty three ten. Brozman nine of sixteen fifty one yards still has yet to generate a touchdown. He started two times. I think today was the sixth game he's played with two starts. Didn't throw any picks, so that was good. But we're gonna hear from Brozemer momentarily. He managed it to.
00:18:18
Speaker 1: The best of his ability.
00:18:19
Speaker 3: He didn't regardless, it's a short week, right, I mean, he had to come in and try to figure out this offense and get himself back in a rhythm on a short week. Didn't happen. You could just tell he's getting to the top of his drop. Receivers were not quite in their break. So it was the timing of Max Brozmer in this offense that was off forcing him to pull the ball down, try to you know, try to make something out of nothing. But with Aiden Hutchinson and you know, and Muhammad on the other side, I mean, they got some animals, they got some speed on the edge, and he just really wasn't able to do that. But the running game in a sneaky way, yep, you know, I wouldn't say saved us, but allowed us to at least move the chains. Ty Chandler back. I mean, we haven't this. We haven't seen ty Chandler in a long long time. He looked good today, so hopefully you know he can be part of the mix going forward because I know Aaron Jones is beat up. He and he kept coming back in and coming back in. So a tip of the cat Aaron into to Aaron Jones because he gutted it out today.
00:19:17
Speaker 2: Well, the Vikings ran for one hundred and fifty eight yards a week after the Pittsburgh Steelers gave the blueprint. Minnesota goes for one fifty eight, including a sixty five yard touchdown run by Jordan Addison. Let's hear from quarterback Max Brosmer.
00:19:29
Speaker 5: Max, what was it that they were doing? It was making it tough on you guys today.
00:19:34
Speaker 6: I mean NFL defense number one is tough in general. I think that you know, they post physicality, schematics wise, they put stuff on tape that you know wasn't a big part of their operation defensively, and a pretty short week two, so you know, props him on that getting us some tough situations and you know, we got to do better in some some scenarios and offense and you know, making sure we're a little more efficient early and communicating better on my end. And but you know, a wins a win, and the guys they was side of the ball. Help got a lot today and that's the definition of complementary football today is what the defense special teams did for us today. Maxwell, was your perspective on the jet sweep and stay again the jet sweep?
00:20:10
Speaker 2: Just what was your perspective on it?
00:20:11
Speaker 6: Yeah, I absolutely love the call. You know, the it took us a couple of times to get it right. You know, we I could have communicated better in the huddle and make sure we got to play off the first time and the second one did did a great job up front. You know, we had kind of been setting it up all game and you know, fortunately hit for us big time. And once ja I picked those knees up, I knew it was gone and did a great job. It's cool to to kind of be from behind and watching that view of j hitting full speed. I was like twenty two miles an hour or something like that, So pretty cool.
00:20:39
Speaker 2: Max.
00:20:40
Speaker 7: Jordan talked about how you guys had run that in practice and it was successful too. So when when that play call comes in and you kind of know the potential for for what it can do, what kind of goes through your mind there?
00:20:52
Speaker 6: I mean personally it you know, for all of us just one on one and mentally speaking, it's just doing doing your part of the job. And you know, if the old line doesn't execute up front, the player doesn't work. If Speedy doesn't get a good block in the backside, it doesn't work. And Ja did a great job tim.
00:21:07
Speaker 1: It it up.
00:21:09
Speaker 6: We practiced probably that maybe one time this week, and you know, maybe twice. I'm not sure we got two times. And you know, practice throughout short weeks, it's not it's not true like fol speed practice. And so for him to build execute that and a really you know, he did a really good job with that execution. And again, everyone did their job and that's why the play was successful. And that's the story of offensive football is making sure that everyone's doing their jobs as best they can and usually that leads to a successful play for us.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: Thanks, I know this one's still fresh. How do you what if any takeaways? Do you have your first two NFL starts and what.
00:21:44
Speaker 6: Do you ffin at? Lots of learning, man, lots of learning NFL. NFL football is hard, and people say it a lot. NFL ball was fun too, and that's not me saying I don't enjoy this. My favorite part is the process and and the people around the team, in the around the facility. That's what makes plan for the Vikings fun. And to have earned those opportunities and have the guys in the huddle and full support throughout the ups and the downs of of you know, our team success and some really rough patches too this year. It's it's a blessing to be in the huddle and I'm.
00:22:16
Speaker 1: Grateful for it.
00:22:17
Speaker 6: And I take every single rep on the field and uh, you know, rep as a game day and I continue to build, and you know, to have the guys around, like I said, that really support that process.
00:22:28
Speaker 1: Is a lot of fun.
00:22:30
Speaker 6: And I just appreciate how much they communicate back to and I love to learn, I love to grow, and the guys are always giving me stuff how I can how I can do better, which is a lot of fun.
00:22:39
Speaker 1: Max.
00:22:39
Speaker 5: What can you say about Aaron Jones? Obviously gotten it out over the last couple of weeks through symmetries.
00:22:44
Speaker 6: Yeah, he's a tough son of a gun. Absolutely incredible leader for our football team. Incredible dude too, like probably one of my favorite guys in the team, and just how he handles himself on a daily basis and He's always always working his butt off, whether it's a walk through and practice antially or a foal speed practice day. He's there's never a play off for him. And obviously his you know, he's been around the game for a bit and he's seen a lot of offensive football and that that helps for a young quarterback, you know, under under the center. So to have him back there's a lot of fun you know, guys like c J. Ham as well, having him back there, that's a that's a pretty cool deal to have back there. And not to mention what Talle Chandler. Ty Chandler does today too. I mean he's one of the hardest runners I've ever seen in my life. We got a good crew back there.
00:23:28
Speaker 2: Actually mentioned the defense. Just what has it been like to share a locker room Harrison Smith this season?
00:23:34
Speaker 6: I like how kind of open he is, just just with talking about kind of his story, his career, the small you know chick chat in the locker room is it's a fun part of being in there with him, and you know, he's his view on football is really cool from a you know, a quarterbacks perspective, how he sees offensive football and any any any time that I get with him, whether it's fifteen seconds or ten minutes, where I get talked about football with him and stuff that I don't take for granted. And I'm really intentional about talking with him about that, and I'm very grateful to have him there, and I'm grateful that he's very open to talk about football and just his career in general, because NFL careers are no joke and he's had an outstanding one so far, and I'm excited to see him, you know, come out next weekend.
00:24:16
Speaker 2: Okay, So the Lions have been put in the last place in the NFC North, they've been bounced from the playoffs, and the Green Bay Packers have made the playoffs because of the Vikings victory today. But it's not exactly how we drew it up into the season. The Vikings and Lions won a combined twenty nine games last year and lost to combined five and now they're both eight and eight. We get Green Bay next, that'll be the that'll be the final regular season game. And although it's been a very middling season, eight and eight, with a lot of different injuries and a million offensive line combinations, today because of Harrison Smith and what they did at that Lions offense. Harrison Smith, he made his two hundred and second career start today, third most history of the Vikings. He's played two hundred and six or seven games. He told Ben Lieber after the game, this is one of the best defensive performances he's ever been part of. That game from Harrison Smith, I'll never forget today.
00:25:09
Speaker 3: And he's played on some great Zimmer defenses as well. I mean, you got to think about the years that he's been here and the guys that he's played with, and you know, I just you know the feeling when you're just you just you're dialed in and you're anticipating. Like the interception he had where he stepped in front of Amena Saint Brown, he knew, he watches film, he put the time in, he knew exactly what the Lions were going to do. As soon as he saw the playfake, he knew what they were doing, and he beat Domina out of that spot. So for a guy who mentally has seen this play one hundred times in his head throughout the week, he's done it before in his career, to do it one more time, Paul, Yeah, it just it's like it's just one of those things where I can still do it, I can still get it done. It makes you, you know, makes you emotional just thinking about it.
00:25:58
Speaker 1: I know.
00:25:59
Speaker 2: Merry Christmas, brother here job today, Yes, p versus Jumpaul Allen. That's the Vikings Postgame Report powered by Looman. It was powered by loomen and stay here at Vikings dot com for all of the recaps and interviews and all that kind of stuff, including between the lines with Tatum Everett and Ben Lieber and all of the pregame festivities up to the final game of the season against the Green Bay Packers in a week and change at US Bank Stadium. Thank you very much for listening to the Vikings Postgame Report. Merry Christmas to everybody.
