MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� The won 14 games last season, the second most in franchise history. The rode the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner, Jayden Daniels, all the way to the NFC championship game.
Both teams aggressively added to their roster during the offseason, too, seemingly setting themselves up for sustained success. But life comes at you fast in this league. The Vikings are on a four-game losing streak at 4-8, with a once-potent offense that has . The Commanders have lost to take a 3-9 record into this matchup of vast underachievers in Minnesota on Sunday.
鈥淲e want to get back on track and try to get a win this week. It鈥檚 been a while since we鈥檝e felt that feeling,鈥� Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “I know they鈥檙e itching for a win as well, so you鈥檝e got two hungry teams.鈥�
During this week鈥檚 season debut of the new 鈥淗ard Knocks鈥� docuseries, which is following all four NFC East teams, Commanders coach Dan Quinn delivered a poignant postgame locker room speech after Washington鈥檚 27-26 overtime loss to a Denver team that has the NFL’s second-best record. With a couple of expletives for emphasis, Quinn urged the Commanders to realize they’d recaptured their competitive edge in a second consecutive narrow defeat after dropping the previous four games by 21-plus points.
鈥淲e lost,鈥� Quinn said, “but we鈥檙e not lost anymore.鈥�
The message seemed to resonate with the players.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 question what he believes in, and we believe in him,鈥� right guard Sam Cosmi said. 鈥淓ven though we haven鈥檛 been getting the results we wanted, that鈥檚 why we keep fighting.鈥�
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has had his hands full trying to guide new quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft 鈥� eight spots after Daniels 鈥� who has missed 24 of a possible 30 games because of injuries.
After dropping close, winnable games at home to Baltimore and Chicago, the Vikings were blown off the field the past two weeks at Green Bay and Seattle.
鈥淲e’ve got to stop doing things to lose games before we get ourselves a chance to win them,鈥� said O’Connell, whose team has by far the league’s worst turnover margin at minus-15. The Commanders are third worst at minus-eight.
Even if the playoffs are an extreme long shot, important auditions will be held at several positions down the stretch for 2026 roster spots and starting jobs. The foundation O’Connell has helped build over four years will continue to undergo vital stress-testing, too, as the Vikings try to get back on track.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about trying to go 1-0 this week, and if you鈥檝e ever understood or questioned why a cliche like that is used, we鈥檙e in a moment where it matters more so now than ever,鈥� he said.
Bracing for boos
The Vikings are just 1-4 this season at U.S. Bank Stadium, where their exasperated fans last saw the offense produce three turnovers and six punts in a 19-17 loss to Chicago on Nov. 16 despite a late rally to briefly take the lead. Over losses at Green Bay and Seattle since then, the Vikings have been outscored 49-6 with eight more turnovers and a woeful average of 3.3 yards per play. If they didn’t notice the boos against the Bears, they’ll surely hear a louder expression of disdain if the offense continues to be stuck.
鈥淪ince I鈥檝e been here, there’s a certain way that, no matter what, you kind of know you should be seeing some things when you show up to watch the Vikings play, so I understand when the frustration sets in,鈥� said O’Connell, alluding to the team’s top-six rank in the NFL in passing yards in each of his first three seasons. 鈥淚 understand how passionate our fans are and how much they love the Minnesota Vikings, and that is not lost on me in one moment.鈥�
Refreshing the defense
Washington鈥檚 defense has looked much more competent and capable over the past two games since Quinn took over the play-calling on that side of the ball from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Part of the improvement has been strategic, with a greater reliance on zone coverage in the back end, instead of man to man. Another part of it has been a simplifying of the scheme 鈥� or 鈥渕ore vanilla,鈥� as Quinn put it. The former defensive coordinator 鈥� on back-to-back Super Bowl teams with Seattle 鈥� said he missed the excitement of play-calling and the closer connection it provides him to players.
鈥淒uring the game, I鈥檓 on the trip with them and riding it with them,鈥� Quinn said, 鈥渁nd I want to make sure I鈥檓 giving them every chance they can to play at their best.鈥�
Turner emerges on the edge
The Vikings have wasted several stellar defensive performances during this losing streak. One of the bright spots on that side of the ball has been edge rusher Dallas Turner, who now leads the team with 5陆 sacks after forcing two fumbles at Seattle last week.
鈥淚 just feel like it鈥檚 playing fast and physical at a high level. It鈥檚 not really like a 鈥榟e鈥檚 here鈥� type of thing,鈥� said Turner, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft. 鈥淚鈥檓 just playing football.鈥�
What a catch by Burks!
Treylon Burks had just one reception last week, but what a catch it was: a leaping, falling, one-handed grab for a touchdown 鈥� the hand on which he recently had finger surgery, no less 鈥� that made every list of best plays of the season. It was just the second touchdown catch in the NFL for Burks, a first-round pick by Tennessee in 2022 whose career was derailed by injuries. He signed with Washington’s practice squad in October.
鈥淚t starts in practice. Just doing that type of stuff in practice, it builds confidence. It gave me the confidence to do it in the game,鈥� Burks said. 鈥淪o I just keep being the player I am for this team and trying to help us win.鈥�
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AP National Writer Howard Fendrich contributed from Ashburn, Va.
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